The Angels of Insanity
by Bridgettalladega
Summary: Katelynn Greston was just an average teenage girl, living a quiet life in Limbo City. That is, until one day when she met a boy name Dante...after that, life wasn't quite so quiet.
1. Prologue

**Bridgettalladega: Hello everyone! See, I promised you a DMC story that would restore Dante back to...well, Dante, and this will be it! It's taken me about...oh, 5 tries? Just to get the opening right.**

**Best Friend: Putting her heart and soul into this story!**

**Bridgettalladega: So, this is just the prologue. I might add that I don't own DMC, nor will this story follow that videogame...this is mine, and with the help of my friend Fallon529, this the outcome. Please enjoy!  
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Believe me when I say that the sanest of people can actually be the craziest, while the ones that appear the craziest are actually the most reasonable. In this world of false-fronts, of lies and deception, who is to judge what is crazy? What is normal? How do we know for a fact that our behavior now is not a side-effect of the insanity imposed upon a mass population?

Some crazy people may not even be psychotic. Some of them, well, they just notice things that sane people chose to ignore. They notice the shadows dancing in the halls; they notice the other personalities we have, bubbling under our skin.

Sometimes, they notice the blood-lust that we have in our heritage, and who can say it isn't normal behavior that they act on it? We use to act on it, we use to be savages- how do we know that our evolution wasn't a flaw, a seam in the system? That we were supposed to turn out like every person that society now calls crazy?

Sane people think that noticing these things will make them crazy- crazy people know that by noticing these things, they feel enlightened. The whole I-know-something-you-don't-know feeling, alive in their bodies and then they are condemned for it, and begin thinking that maybe, noticing the voices wasn't the best idea.

And you may think that this sounds like a whole bunch of psychobabble, but in reality, I'm merely stating the truth.

That the sanest of us are just the ones that chose to ignore all possibility of something else, while the craziest of us are the ones with their eyes, and their minds, open.

And we call ourselves an advanced society…how can we be? If our minds and our eyes are closed to the fact that maybe, just maybe, we've got all this wrong…how is there room for progress?

How would we know that any of this is right?...And more importantly, if we did figure out we were backwards, wrong, our way of thinking was actually the one that was diseased…

Would we be able to handle it?

**Bridgettalladega: Eh, nothing too exciting yet, but this is just the opener! Expect another chapter up...relatively soon. **


	2. An Boring New Day Has Begun

**Bridgettalladega: Hi guys! Back with another...chapter? Actually, hahaha, this is the first actual chapter of this story!**

**Best Friend:...Uhm...?**

**Bridgetalladega: So, anyway, I hope you enjoy this story! Let me reiterate: this will not be following the videogame! I made up almost everything (Except for Dante)! So, please don't be like "Blah Blah OHEMGEETHISISN'TACCCCUUUURAAATEEE!"...I know. But, other than that, please enjoy!  
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I woke up that morning, slowly, from a dream that seemed as though it was all too real. I couldn't remember the facts of it, only the feeling- fear, horror, shock. I almost never remembered dreams, but I always did remember the feelings that they gave me, good or bad. Mostly, however, it was the bad, as though at night my mind was trying to trap me in my own personal hell.

I stretched, shaking the feelings away before tumbling out of my four-poster bed and on to the soft carpeting. I walked across the room and over to the mirror, running my fingers through the tangled mass of dark red hair that fell to my chest. I gave the girl in the mirror a half-drowsy smile, the emotion not quite hitting my light brown eyes, as I staggered out of my room and down the steps to the kitchen.

"Dad?" I called, plopping myself down at the table that was pressed up against the window. There was no sound of a television, humming low in the living room, or the water running in the bathroom, just stillness. It was the silence that let me know that I was alone, and I slowly let my gaze linger outside, my eyes focusing on the familiar points of Limbo City.

The abandoned buildings, as though the residents saw what the city was becoming, and moved as quickly as they possibly could, leaving all their stuff waiting for their return. The old, run-down cars, wheels gone, paint chipped, homes to the many assortments of vermin that lived on the streets. The litter, stuff that could be considered toxic, flooding the streets, blowing in the breeze.

It was another day in the paradise my father and I called home.

It would've been my mother's home as well, had she not died when I was 4. Her name was Delilah, and she was very beautiful; I have her eyes and her nose, from the way my father describes her. But I don't have her smile; my dad said her smile could light up the room, make everyone feel as though they belonged there. My smile does not do that- it does the best it can, however.

I only have vague memories of my mother- her voice, her presence, in our house, holding me…but the, rest, I just can't place her anywhere. It's more the feeling of her having been there that I remember, I guess.

But, I prefer thinking about the present…it's healthier.

"Katelynn, are you up yet- oh, hello Kitty! How are you?" The door to the room swung open, as I smiled brightly this time, the emotion flooding my eyes.

My father stood in the doorway, his figure taking the whole opening. He was tall, around 6' 4", and he looked as though he could take down a whole football team, or maybe even a large bus on his own. He had dark, close cropped hair, and dark brown eyes. He looked serious due to the deep frown lines etched on his face, but that was best. You had to be strong, both physically and emotionally to run a mental hospital.

He smiled at me, walking over and setting down the breakfast that he had cooked in his own apartment in front of me.

"Good…tired." I yawned, as though proving a point, before my father kissed me on my forehead.

"Sleep well?" I shook my head, then sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

"…Sort of. I slept the whole night, but…I had that weird feeling again." My father nodded, walking over to the cabinet and pulling out the key to undo the latch. Out of the open cabinet, he pulled bin that held my medication. He kept it in there, not because he didn't trust me, but because he used it as an excuse to see me every day, though countless times I had told him he didn't need an excuse.

Since the time I was born, I was sick. My father tells me that sometimes, it was so terrible, that they thought that I was going to die. It has never been that bad that I could remember, but still, I took medicine for it. It wasn't that bad, having to take pills for it every day, but, sometimes I wondered if I was ill because of my mother…my father told me what I was sick with once, but, I didn't pay attention and I couldn't recall it.

"Oh, really? Maybe…hmm…maybe I could try to give you something to help you sleep." He walked over to the table, setting down the two large white pills in front of me. I took them, swallowing them without complaint as they scratched my throat.

"That'd be nic-" My father's pager went off, and he quickly pulled out his cell phone, dialing the number.

"Hello, Casum here. Yes…what? Oh, yes…no, no…I'll go. Yes, leave it to me. Knowing the orderlies, they'd screw it up…okay, yes." He clicked the phone shut, before sighing, looking at me apologetically.

"Kitty…dear, I have to go take care of one of the patients…you don't mind that I'm going to leave, right?" I shook my head, poking at the luke-warm food in front of me.

"Nah, I think I'm going to go and visit some patients today anyway…" My dad smiled, and nodded.

"It's good for you to stick to a routine, but make sure you get around to your online classes."  
>Another advantage of being sick was that I went to a private, online school. The best educators from Ethor city taught lessons to people who were stuck in Limbo, or to those who were sick like me, or to those who just didn't want to leave their houses. Although this meant that the only friends I had were people from my online class, their identities unknown, and the patients here, I knew that going outside, especially into the toxicity of Limbo would only harm my health further. And that was something that my father said we couldn't risk.<p>

"I already finished the lessons for the week yesterday, because that was the day that the maids went cleaning." My dad nodded as though he understood that when the maids came into the rooms, I wasn't allowed, but I wasn't quite convinced.

"Okay, well, as long as you won't feel lonely…"

"Daddy, I'm 16. I can figure out something to do on my own, honestly." He smiled at me, closing his eyes.

"I know Kitty dear…I forget that sometimes…" He smiled at me once again before he stood up and ruffled my hair. I handed him the now empty plate, and he chuckled.

"Glad to see you have an appetite."

"Just because I don't sleep doesn't mean I don't eat." He chuckled.

"Okay…if you need me…"

"Your pager, I know. Love you." I got up from the chair, and gave him a hug, my face coming exactly to his chest. At my height of 5' 2", my father towered over me, a feeling that felt more than anything, safe.

"Love you too…be safe Kitty." He shut the door behind him as he left me alone, the room becoming silent once more.

My father and I shared different rooms on the 7th floor of the Limbo City Mental Hospital. We lived among the doctors, the nurses, the staff who were around the clock, all of us here, though, none of their rooms were quite as nice as ours.

Below us resided the only mental facility in all of the tri-state area; Mavier County didn't have its own, because, it was certainly too small to house one, while Ethor City didn't want one to tarnish its perfect image.

That meant that Limbo City was left with everyone, and, being the daughter of the man who ran the place, I heard about the best of them, and the worst of them. The ones with their own reality, and the ones that have decided living in any reality is too much. The ones that want to escape, and the ones that don't even know they're here.

And, being the girl who was stuck inside with nothing to do, I visited most of them as much as I could, making my rounds through the building multiple times during the day. Starting with the patients on the 6th floor, I worked my way down to the 1st, and back up again after lunch. It was…a routine. Somewhat tiring…it wasn't like I didn't like talking to the patients, because most of them were very nice, and I felt better helping them when I was finished…but it was a routine. It was boring; monotonous.

I wanted change, but what type of change could you get in a place that was all about schedule?

Noticing the time, I quickly dashed back into my room, slipping into a bright, cheery dress that would make the patients smile. They hardly ever saw anything other than the gloominess inside their room, and anything that I could to do make them happier, I did. Hurrying to the door, I slipped on my shoes and ran out, my day already starting.

**Bridgettalladega: So, what did you think? Hopefully, you enjoyed it! Please review, if you can3 I'd appreciate it very much! **


	3. The Routine

**Bridgettalladega: Hello guys! I'm baaaccck! Sorry for the long absence- school has triple the amount of work this year, so I'm lucky I'm even able to get on to the computer anymore!**

"Okay Mr. Lainley, take care of yourself!" I smiled cheerfully as he waved at me from his bed, his blue eyes sparkling with a dim light that had never seen there before. I smiled to myself as carefully I shut the door to his room, the lock snapping into place with a click.

Mr. Robert Lainley, a patient on the 2nd floor, was one of my favorite people here, a person who tried to get better, and a person who was so kind, so gentle, and very quiet in the strong way of his. If you got him talking, though, he would always tell stories about his days in the service, about his children and his wife. He suffered from severe depression in his earlier days, and after deciding that his medication could no longer help him, he tried to commit suicide. His children had found him, and his wife had admitted him here immediately after he gotten out of the hospital.

That was over 6 months ago, and now it seemed as though he would be going home soon. He was doing great in group; he was talking, he was eating. Walking about, instead of lying in his bed. Insisting on doing more things independently.

He was smiling. He was laughing. It was the most beautiful thing in the world, to know that soon he'd be going back to his life, with his family, his friends. His German Sheppard Lucy, the one he told me he used to walk every day, up and down his street as though she was a prized show dog.

When a patient was improving, making progress, it was the most amazing thing in the world. To know that soon, they'd be themselves again. To know that they'd finally find their worth in life. To know that they'd be able to find their reasons for living, their reason for smiling.

I gave one last glance down the quiet hallway, smiling again as my gaze lingered on Mr. Lainley's room before I began walking down the hallway, heading towards the stairwell. I was going to stop by my father's office, to see if he wanted to meet for lunch, or if I'd be eating in the cafeteria today. Either way was fine; I'd chat with my regulars, Maybelle and Gina, or maybe I could even coax Lenia to sit with us.

I was almost at the top of the stairwell, as a passing nurse who was carrying a stack of towels bigger than she was bumped into me. I tumbled, gripping hard at the railing to keep myself from falling forwards.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry-!" Her muffled voice called from behind the pile of towels.

"It's okay…here, let me get those." I grabbed the top-most stack, watching as the flustered nurse shuffled the pile to her hips.

"Oh, Ms. Greston! I'm sorry that-" I shook my head, smiling at her kindly. She was new here, I could tell. The nervous, switching eyes as though she wasn't used to talking to her boss' daughter. The way she used my last name, instead of my first. New nurses usually had it rough here, and I had seen many pack up and leave after only their first week…

"It's okay; please, call me Katelynn. Where are you going?" The nurse sighed, pushing her hair out of her face.

"The lowest level said they needed towels…some patients apparently got in a fight, and they need to clean up-" Just then, her pager went off. She groaned as she looked down, shaking her head.

"Something wrong?"

"Shit, I mean…oops, shoot! I'm needed up in the infirmary…apparently, my patient is has just gone in and they need me there…shoot, but I needed to get these downstairs!" She grumbled.

Well, I was never one not to help out if it was needed…besides, although I had never been to the lowest level, I knew that I could find my way around…

"Why don't I take those down? It's not out of my way; and your patient probably needs you more now." She looked at me, scanning me as though trying to determine whether I was trustworthy or not.

"Well…I-"

"I'll just tell them that you sent me because you were called to the infirmary." I assured her, as she nodded a bit unwillingly.

"Alright…just tell them Marilee sent you. Oh, and you'll need the passcode to get into the elevator…" She shrugged the towels over to me, as I smiled brightly. She took a pen out of her pocket, and light traced the numbers 407- my birthday, on to my palm.

"So that's the passcode, just type it in the system on the elevator behind the front desk…though you probably knew that." She smiled, and I shook my head.

"No, I didn't, so thank you!" I should have known that my dad would set the code as my birthday- it seemed like just another one of his fatherly habits, after all.

"…Be careful." The nurse shouted as I headed down the steps, waving.

"Will do! I wish you luck with your patient!" I called back.

I could have sworn that she mumbled the same to me, but, I wasn't necessarily afraid. I knew that the lowest level in the basement of the building was for the criminally insane…I knew that the people down there could have stolen, or committed murders…because of their mental instability.

The only reason I could even go down there without fear creating a hole in my stomach was because I was The Daughter of the Man Who Ran the Hospital, meaning that Do Not Let Anything Happen to the Katelynn Greston was an unspoken code around here. It wasn't a bad code, especially not for me, and it definitely did keep me protected.

But, I wasn't just the boss' daughter. I was Katelynn Rose Greston; I was my own person. So while there was always a watchful eye on me…there was always a monitoring eye on me, as well. And that was what bothered me.

Wiping those thoughts away, I descended down the steps to the lobby floor, taking a deep breath as I headed behind the front desk, to the narrow hallway that lay there. I got to the end of that hallway, pressing in the code to open the doors. Once inside, I quickly rubbed the ink off of my palm, hoping that the numbers were faded enough that no one down there could read them. Though I was sure our security was tight enough to catch any scent of an escape plan, I didn't want to give the patients any information they could use to assist them.

With a slight chuckle, I realized that as soon as I thought about changing my routine, this opportunity had presented itself, a chance fallen straight into my lap…ironic, and of course appreciated…but…

Maybe this change wasn't going to be all that I hoped.

**Bridgettalladega: So, hopefully this wasn't annoying chapter because of it's lack-of-anything-really-important-happening, but don't worry! I assure you the next chapter will defintely be better! BUT PLEASE REVIEW IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME TO KNOW YOU'RE STILL THERE :'D Anyway, thank you for reading!**


	4. Naive Little Girls

**Bridgettalladega: Hello ya'll! Here is the next chapter in the story, completed as I lay on my sick bed!**

**Best Friend: She thought it would be an opprotune time to work on this, anyway!**

**Bridgettalladega: So I hope you like it! Please enjoy!**

When the elevator doors swung open, I started coughing, covering my mouth with my hand. The ventilation wasn't the best down here…the dirt and the grime had hit me immediately, the particles of filth fluttering in front of my eyes. Maybe that was why I hadn't gone down to the lowest level before; it could have caused me to get sicker. Maybe I shouldn't even be down here now…  
>I stepped out of the comfort of the elevator, and tried not to wince as I heard the doors shut behind me. I was definitely less afraid when I was traveling down here- quickly; I shook my head and stepped forward, traveling in the musty darkness to the front desk. I peered through the bulletproof glass screen, trying to determine if the security guard was in there or not. I heard the low hum of the surveillance monitor, but heard no other noise from inside the room. I saw no one; I shifted the towels to one hip, tapping on the glass.<p>

"Hello? Anybody here?" I called, hoping that the shakiness in my voice was muted.  
>"Over here, Marilee!" A voice from somewhere down the long corridor to the left of me called, causing me to jump in surprise.<br>"Uhm…it's not her, it's me! Katelynn Greston!" I replied, wondering exactly how far back I'd have to go to get these to the guard…

"Whoever you are, I need to get those towels, fast! We're near Open Space 3!" Open Space 3…I tried recalling the maps that hung in my father's office…the blueprints, ones showing each level's skeleton, bare bones. Open Space 3 was pretty far back…near one of the farthest walls of the basement's foundation. I closed my eyes, trying to remember all the times I had studied the maps when my father was late to lunch, and taking a deep breath, I traveled down the hallway as it twisted and turned, sometimes forking into two paths.

I wondered if it was possible for a person to get lost and never be found in this maze. Were there guards that could never find their way through the dimness back to daylight? There had to be routes though, didn't there? In this labyrinth of halls, there had to be some sort of sense.

Trying to calm myself, I glanced around at the surroundings, noticing everything and trying to scrutinize the smallest of details. Thick, heavy metal doors lined the walls, each displaying a tiny, faded number at the top. Some of these doors were partially propped open- In one, there was a shower room, with many nozzles and many metal bars creating stalls to shackle the patients' handcuffs to. In another, examination room, chains hanging from the ceiling, with what probably was a one-way mirror and a video camera.

From behind some doors, I could hear what sounded like thumping- but I tried to pay no attention as up ahead, I could see the hallway opening up into an atrium looking room. I saw three figures in there- two had to be the patients, for they were chained to the wall, and the other, a thick, muscular man with close cropped hair, a guard.

"Now, how'd they let such a pretty young thing down here?"

"Marilee was busy with a patient upstairs…she said that I could bring these down for her." The patient to the left of the guard quickly glanced up at me, his gaze catching mine, and quickly, he looked away, as though he didn't want to make eye-contact. As though, he was…afraid of me? Possibly…when he had glanced at me, I could have sworn that there was a look of anxiety there…  
>I did a double take of the patient, noticing something peculiar…the patient, the one who had just glanced at me, the one with only a bruised eye and a busted lip, was a just a kid. He looked so much younger than the inmate that sat across from him, the man with all the tattoos who was clutching at his face as blood seeped through. He looked as though he could be my age.<p>

"Listen girlie, this isn't a place for little girls like you, so why don't you just go upstairs and go daddy all about your little adventure?" I stood up my straightest, narrowing my eyebrows. Something about this man rubbed me the wrong way- it could have been the way his smile seemed so cocky, and his pompousness radiated off of him like foul body odor.

"Actually, I was going to visit here anyway. My father, he wanted me to examine the workings of the under level, so I think I'll stick around."

I wanted to know what happened down here…I was curious, after all, about the going-ons down in the basement, a place I had never been before, and by the looks of it, a place my father didn't set foot in much either.

And even more than that, I was more curious about the boy who lived down here. He made me want to know; about him, about his life…about how he got down here…call it whatever you want, and maybe it was because I hadn't seen many people my age before, but I wanted to know what it was like out there. He had to know; he had to know what the world was like outside of a perfectly ordered building…or else he wouldn't have ended up here.  
>Then again, he could be a dangerous, cold-blooded killer, and by talking to him, I'd find myself not only afraid of the world, but never willing to leave LCMH in my life. Which was something that, so far, I intended to do.<br>But…there were no stupid questions…and no way to know how something was going to end if it didn't start….  
>"Look, Kitty-" That name made me wince.<br>"It's Katelynn." I stated, trying to sound calm. The only reason my father got away with calling me Kitty was because I was his daughter, but no one else was allowed to use that name to refer to me. The guard rolled his eyes, laughing.  
>"Whatever you say…but, I don't think someone like you should be down here. No place for little girls." I put my hands on my hips, watching as the guard walked over to the older inmate. The man snarled as the guard pulled his hand from his face, and I felt slightly queasy as I saw the deep, deep gash that split the man's eyelid.<p>

"Actually, I think it's best. I'm down here to observe, since I know my father is too busy to. I'll even help out." I took the other towel from my pile and slowly, carefully walked over to the boy.

He did look at me at first, and slowly, I crouched down in front of him.

"Hello…I'm Katelynn." I murmured, smiling at him as cheerfully as my quaking insides would manage. I could taste the vileness fear in my mouth; I had never been this close to a patient that I wasn't sure about. That I didn't know, whose chart I hadn't read.

Who could be a mass-murderer, a killer with a cool smile and a sardonic laugh.

The boy turned, and now, more clearly, I would see the gash on his lip. It didn't look as bad as it did before…maybe in the lighting, I had seen it strangely?

I looked up, only to find him glaring at me with icy blue eyes that looked like at one time, a single angry glance could have pierced holes through you. He looked ragged, to say the least, what with his dark brown hair limp and shaggy, hanging down his face in a matted way. As soon as he noticed me looking, he turned away again, snorting as he did so.

"Hmp, what does it matter?"

"I guess it doesn't…I just thought I'd introduce myself, since I'm the daughter of Casum-His eyes narrowed into a glare and his mouth formed a tight scowl.

"You're that fucking bastard's daughter?" I reeled back, and when the prisoner noticed that, he chuckled to himself, a private joke at my expense.

"Dante! You watch your fucking mouth!" The guard hollered, as Dante's face seemed to pale. My head whipped around to glare at the guard, who was still busily attending to the other inmate, and I turned back to Dante, shaking my head.

"He's not a bastard; he's a really…really good man." I murmured, as Dante rolled his eyes.  
>"It's obvious you'd defend him." I took the towel from my side, slowly bringing it towards Dante's lip, which looked…healed? It couldn't have healed that fast…I swore I saw it split open only moments before.<p>

I gently brought the towel down on where I though the opening was, cleaning off the blood that was still wet.

"…Maybe I'm just defending what I know is right." I murmured, as Dante laughed, licking the remaining blood off his lips. I looked up again, my brows furrowing when I saw that his eye, too, looked as though it had healed.

"Maybe you're defending something you know nothing about."

**Bridgettalladega: So we are introduced to Dante! I hope ya'll enjoyed; leave me reviews if you want to make me feel better/smile! Thank you!**


	5. Taking a Stand

**Bridgettalladega: Hello, everybody who is still reading this story! How are you!**

**Best Friend: Are there any of you left...**

**Bridgettalladega: I hope so! Sorry for the long absence- I couldn't figure out this chapter to save my life! I hope it's good though! OH AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE REVIEWS3 I haven't checked my email in...a while, so I'll be replying to them shortly3 But, anyway, please enjoy! **

That comment irked me- him, assuming that I knew nothing about what was happening in my father's hospital? When he had probably only seen the basement, and I had travelled everywhere else at least twice a day? Who was he to say that I knew nothing about the happenings here?

The guard finished cleaning up the other inmate, and I stood up, dusting off my dress from the dirt of the floor.

"Dante seems to be fine- how is the other patient?" The guard glared at Dante, who stared back with some sort of fear in his eyes.

"Fine, no thanks to that dipshit. This is why we keep that one under maximum security." He jerked his thumb at Dante as my head swiveled around.

But…he was only…he was so young, to be so…dangerous. That didn't make any sense; at least, it didn't fit in with the stereotypical criminal. I would have thought that Dante was serving for something minor, not…anything too extreme.

"I have to take them to their cells now, little girl. Why don't you hurry back upstairs?" I crossed my arms against my chest, shaking my head as my insides trembled.

"No, no. I want to see…I want to know what happens around here." I glanced back at Dante as I said this, but he was too busy staring at the guard, who sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Suit yourself." He walked over to Dante, and tightening his ankle cuffs, he grabbed at Dante's collar and yanked him to his feet.

"Come on. Move your ass." Dante bowed his head as the guard practically dragged him down the corridor. The other inmate sat there, staring ahead blankly, as I bit my lip, trying to decide whether or not to follow the guard or stay here and watch this man.

Then, there was a smacking sound; a hollow resonation from the hallway that the guard had lead Dante down, and a yelp. Quickly, I clenched my fists, my mind made up.

I dashed down the hallway, to find the guard standing near an open door. I heard a smack that could've only been the sound of Dante's body slapping against the ground, and I rushed to the guard's side.

"Your brutality with these patients is sickening!" I screamed, digging my nails into the palm of my shaking hand. The guard smirked at me, laughing quietly.

"They're not patients- they're criminals."

"With mental problems! They need to be treated-"

"Listen, I don't know how your father runs things upstairs, but down here, this is my territory. And it ain't no picnic running here." The guard reached out, his hand going to close the door to Dante's cell.

"Let me see him." I stated calmly, and the guard laughed.

"Want to make sure he didn't get any boo-boos?"

"Listen here. I am the daughter of the man who runs this place. I could have you fired in an instant, and I will have you fired if you keep acting the way you do. Now, let me in to see him." The guard seemed shocked by my sudden change in demeanor, and he gruffed.  
>"I'd have to chain him up."<p>

"I assume it'll be great practice for you."

I waited until the guard gave me the okay to come inside, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkened cell, I saw Dante chained to the shackle loops that hung above his bed. I sat across from him on the ground, as he glared at me. His gaze, however, quickly switched to the guard, his eyes filling with anxiety.

"You can wait outside the door, can you not?" I questioned, and the guard crossed his arms.

"…I assume so. I have to get that other inmate back, so I will be gone for a few minutes." He walked out of the cell, and Dante seemed to relax, if only down to the level of extreme wariness.

"What do you want?" Dante questioned, glaring at me once again.

"…To make sure you're okay. The guard…he was unnecessarily rough." My eyes were adjusting more, and I could start to make out the shape of a bruise on the bottom of Dante's chin. Dante caught me looking and quickly turned away, however.

"Not as though you care, lady. I'm just another number in this goddamn place." He sighed, and I shook my head rapidly.

"No! Of course I care, and you're not just another number! You're a patient-"

"You can stop it with the bullshit lies, already." He relaxed against the wall, sighing as he did so. He propped his feet up on his cot, which looked dirty, almost disgusting, stained yellow from sweat. The ragged gray blanket was tossed to the floor, crumpled as though he had been tangled in it.

"I'm not lying to you- you're a patient, just as everyone else is!"

"Oh, yeah? Because I don't see your other patients living in a cellar." I crossed my arms against my chest as Dante yawned.

"…Well, this seemed like the best place for inmates…I mean, well-"  
>"I don't think this is the best place for anyone, Kitty." Dante smirked at me as he repeated the nickname the guard had so arrogantly used.<p>

"Katelynn."

"Okay, Kitty, but I should let you know now you're a horrible liar."

"…I'm not lying." I muttered, as he yawned again.

"Sure." He stared off into space. It was obvious I couldn't get to him, no matter what, I had to try though…this would be the first inmate that I had ever talked to. If I backed down now, what did that say? What message would that give to the rest of them? That I was afraid of them, that they didn't deserve to be treated like the rest of the patients?  
>I couldn't let that happen.<p>

"…So…"

"You want to leave now, princess? I think this little hell-hole is spoiling your purity the longer you stay."

"No. I don't want to go." I spit back, as he laughed.

"Okay…what makes you sure you'll want to be here?"

"Because I want to talk to you. Why did you lash out at that other patient today?" He tilted his head back, snorting.

"What can I say? If someone fucks with me, they're going to get it." My face turned a light pink at the use of such a word, and I tried to quickly rub at my eyes to conceal the tinge.

"…I don't see how you could've done that much damage, without getting a scratch." Dante laughed again, lying on the cot as he rolled his eyes. His arms hung awkwardly on the wall, making the position seem less than comfortable.

"I don't know; maybe that guy was so fucked under medication that he stood no chance."  
>"They keep you sedated?" Dante stared over at me like I was an idiot, and I felt myself blush again.<p>

"They keep us so sedated it's strange if we even remember we're here." Dante traced his fingers against the cool stone of the wall, as he sighed and closed his eyes, as though to prove a point. He yawned again, quickly rubbing at his face as though he was trying to remain awake.

"…Then how are you coherent?" Dante shook his head, smiling.

"Barely. I probably won't remember meeting you once I wake up again." I smirked at his voice, which had taken on a breathy tone, slurring slightly, and I stood up.

"…Well, then I guess I'll just have to keep visiting you, hmm?"  
>"Dear God; if you're going to do that, at least help me out now…my nose itches like a fucking bitch and currently, I'm in no position to scratch it." I glanced at him uncertainly as he stared me down.<p>

"How do I know you're not going to try and…"

"What? Bite you? I'm not a vampire." I stood up and walked over to him, as he grinned at me.

"Still got bitches working for me." I glared at him, staring towards the door.

"I could just leave now and let you suffer through this yourself." I tossed the words casually over my shoulder.

"You wouldn't do that." He murmured, and I tried to steel myself against the convincing tone in his voice. He was right- normally, I would've just helped out the patient but…he had ticked me off. And he needed to learn to be more polite if he wanted my help.

"Who says?"

"You- you're too fucking nice not to help people out." I walked back over to him, standing in front of him, crossing my arms against my chest.

"I'm nice only to those who treat me the same- so that does not include you. Hopefully, that will change." I walked out of the cell, closing the door behind me as he groaned.

The guard stared at me, a cocky smirk on his face.

"So, princess-"

"My name's Katelynn- learn it, because you'll be seeing a lot more of me down here." I called as I stumbled proudly through the dark corridors back to the elevators.

**Bridgettalladega: Like it? I hope you did, because I felt so proud of actually being able to write this chapter out! I promise, it'll start picking up soon...well, I mean, more stuff will happen soon! Thank you, and please review(: It keeps me smiling ^_^ **


	6. Little White Pills

**Bridgettalladega: Hello everyone! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate the holiday...good day to those who do not! Anyway, I wanted to update this chapter today because I hope to get a lot more of the story done over break and I thought that I should update as soon as I could! **

**Best Friend: Hopefully, the story will start moving along...**

**Bridgetalladega: I've been trying to get it to! But...I don't know. I hope ya'll still like the story...anyway, and please enjoy this chapter(:**

That was more than three months ago- every day, I made sure to make my way down the creaking old elevator and plunge myself into the murky darkness of the basement. Regularly, I talked to Dante, though our conversations never revealed much about his past, or how he had got there. We made small talk, but every conversation brought me closer to him still. I was not a friend, though I was no longer a stranger, or even a mere acquaintance. We floated in the middle ground between the two, but for us, it suited just fine.

So it seemed a normal day when I scurried down to the basement, carrying under my jacket illegal food Dante requested I bring. Normally, I didn't break regulations for patients, and I felt guilty doing it even now, but…I had seen lunch the basement patients were served a couple of days ago, and they were horrendous. Gross looking leftovers, luke-warm or still frozen. It was as though these patients didn't receive the same treatment as those upstairs, which I felt was incredibly wrong. Even though they were criminals…they were people, just the same. Did that not warrant them the same treatment as everyone else?  
>It seemed the more time I spent down in the basement, the more I became aware of how naïve I was when I first stepped down here.<p>

I walked past the guard station, slipping inside and grabbing the key to Dante's cell. I demanded that the guard, whose name I found out was Joul, leave the spare key on the counter so that I could come and go as my routine saw fit. After much arguing, he finally allowed the spare to be kept on the inside counter- but only as long as I visited between the hours of 10-5. Any time before or after that, the patients were busy, and the key would once again become solely his possession.

I hurried down the hallways, a course that was now not easy, but at least not extremely difficult and slipped the key into Dante's cell, knocking lightly as I did so. I always had to knock- after that one day I almost walked in on him with his pants down, I always knocked.

"Dante? It's Katelynn." I pressed open the door after a long pause, and found him lying on the bed, grasping at his temples. His face was screwed up in pain, and he barely opened his eyes to look at me.

"Fuck, Kitty, do you have to be so loud?" I sat at the edge of his cot, placing the strawberry cupcake onto the mattress next to me as he pulled the blanket tighter around him.

"…I wasn't being loud?" I questioned, as he rolled onto his side, throwing the lumpy pillow over his head.  
>"Shit…ah, fuck! When's that damn medication getting here!" He moaned, as I reached over, unsurely placing my hand on his arm.<p>

"…What's wrong?" I whispered, as he shook his head.

"Sometimes, they don't give me…my medication on time. If that happens…I get a wicked headache. It's like I'm addicted or some shit." I gently rubbed at his arm, and sighed understandingly.

"…I hate that. That's why I take my medication in the morning, at a set time. If I don't take it…well, I get-" Suddenly, the door was flung open. I quickly shoved the cupcake back into my jacket pocket as Joul strutted in, glaring at me.

"Well, what do we have here? Princess let herself in again, did she?"  
>"I hear you haven't given out medications today." I stood up, glaring right back at him. Joul and I would always be in an icy stalemate; for some reason, he just couldn't accept that I could have more power around this hospital than him. It just didn't work for him, but I knew where I stood in comparison to him.<p>

"I have. Dante is just last today." Dante sat up, grasping at his head as he did so.  
>"Liar! You weren't going to give them to me today because-" He groaned, tucking his head down in his arms.<br>"Because you got in that brawl with the other inmate yesterday? You've got that damn right. Teach you to mess up again." I gawked at the guard, extending my hand.

"You give me his medicine right now!" I demanded, as the guard shook his head, crossing his arms against his chest.

"You're not authorized to give medication to the patients-"

"And you're not authorized to withhold medication either!" The guard rolled his eyes, walking over to Dante and taking one of his hands.

"You know, if your father knew what a mouth you had-"

Out of his pocket, Joul pulled a large medicine bottle, and he unscrewed the top slowly. He placed the cap in his other pocket, and stuck out his palm, shaking the medicine into his hand.

He dropped four large, white pills into Dante's hand. I stared at the, perplexed, my mouth dropping slightly. Those pills…looked vaguely familiar.

"There we go- problem solved. You can get your panties out of a bunch now, princess." Joul laughed, smirking as he slammed the door to the cell behind him. I hurried next to Dante, sitting down on the mattress as Dante opened his mouth, ready to toss the pills back.

"Don't…wait." I whispered, grabbing his hand. My head felt lightly fuzzy, as though I couldn't process what I was seeing.

"What, Kitty!" He barked, as time continued to slow.

"…Those…" I took one of the white pills from Dante's hand, spinning it between my fingers. These…my mouth felt dry, as I shook my head. No way. Now I was going crazy. This must be…

"Can I have that back?" Dante took the pill from my palm, popping all the medicine in his mouth, swallowing them at once. He reached into my jacket for the treat, long since forgotten by me, and took a huge bite.

"…What do those do." My voice was rocky, shaking as badly as I was.

"I don't know. Calm me down, or something like that. They make me sleep; my head gets all fucked up. Some sort of memory suppressants, to convince us not to act upon our tendencies….Kitty?" I stared at him, my eyes wide.

The words tumbled out of my mouth before I knew completely what I was saying.

"…Dante, I take those same…I take two of the same…pills you take." Dante stared at me, unbelieving. He swallowed roughly, shaking his head.

"No you don't. There has to be some sort of mistake."

"They have the same inscription on them, Dante!" I screamed, grabbing my head.

"Did you never know what they were? " He asked, and I shook my head.

"No! My dad just told me I was sick! Not that he was trying to…oh my god!"

"Stop taking them-" Dante advised, as I grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Why are you here! Why do they think you're crazy, Dante?" My breaths were short in the drawn-out silence that followed my words. Dante bowed his head, before sighing. I shook him roughly as he grasped my hands, looking up at me with a serious expression.

"They think I'm crazy…because I know demons exist."

**Bridgettalladega:...I hope that was interesting! Please, review because I really appreciate it and...well, I will respond to them eventually (probably today, because I have time!) **


	7. Realizations

**Bridgettalladega: Hello! I promised that when I was on break, I would update more! So, I got another chapter up!**

**Best Friend: Promises made, promises kept ^_^!**

**Bridgettalladega: So, I hope you like this! It's definitely starting to get more in-depth into the plot-line...anyway, please enjoy! **

In the few months that I had known Dante, I had begun to think that he wasn't truly crazy. I had thought that they possibly made a mistake placing him in LCMH, or maybe it was a lesser sentencing than if he had gone to jail. Either way, he was different than the patients that I had seen go in and out of here- I couldn't tell any of his ticks, or any of his habits of thought that could've certified him as mentally unstable.

But now, as he said that, I began to laugh.

"Oh great! That's just great! Am I crazy, just like you? Is that why I'm taking the same medication you are?" Inside, I did not feel like laughing. In fact, I felt like bursting into tears. Because, this couldn't be happening. This truly had to be a dream- this wasn't…no, I was normal, wasn't I?  
>Dante glared at me, prying my hands off his collar.<p>

"First off, I'm not crazy, Katelynn. You haven't seen the shit I have, you haven't been where I have, so you and those crack-pot jokes of medics that call me crazy don't know fuck!" He hollered, and I felt tears leak down my face.

"…Dante, there's no such thing as demons-" I murmured, as my stomach began to turn. My head hurt, and I leaned back against the wall.

The words…they felt wrong in my mouth. No such thing as demons. Just five simple words, but they sounded…they sounded wrong, for some reason. Could it be because I knew everyone was fighting their own demons? Certainly, not the kind Dante was talking about…hell creatures. There were no such things as those. Personal demons; yes. Hell creatures; no.

Those were only in stories…right? Legends. Not real. Not in this world.

"Yes, Katelynn. They are. I don't care what you or anyone else thinks of me and my mental state. Demons are real. And just because you're on the same meds as me…doesn't mean anything."

I stared at him, wiping away the wetness off my face. Laughing, I shook my head again.

"…So then what habits of mine are the medication suppressing? Huh, Dante? Can you tell me that?" He sighed, shrugging.

"No, but if you stopped taking them, I'm sure you would figure it out." I bit my lip, staring down at my lap.

"…But…what if I don't take them…and I…" Dante laughed bitterly, as though sensing my next few words.

"Go crazy? No better place to do that then in a mental hospital." I wrung my hands together uneasily, pulling at the skin on my thumb.

"…My dad gives me the medicine every day. He watches me take them…"

"Hide it in your gums. That's what some inmates do." He suggested, and I took a deep shuddering breath.

"…But the headaches…"

"Do you want to know, or not Kitty?"  
>And I knew I did. I knew I wanted to know what was wrong with me- what the medication was suppressing from my behavior, from my thoughts. It would be scary, and I…what if I found that I was more dangerous than I…or anyone else could handle?<p>

But I needed to know.

So the next morning, I took Dante's advice. When my father, so lovingly, so trustingly, gave me my medicine, I did not swallow the pills. I wanted until he had turned around to get my breakfast, and I spit them into a napkin. I ate breakfast as normal; I told him that I was feeling a little bit sick this morning, and would probably not see him the rest of the day.

And I hoped, hoped that I would be okay. That today, maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I knew it could be.

I retired to my bed right before he left, claiming a sore throat and a snuffed nose. But in reality, the headache was already beginning- something worse than any of the worst migraines I had ever had. Blinding pressure on the sides of my head, but other than that, I didn't feel depressed, or anything out of the ordinary. Nothing that I could tell was out of the normal for me. Other than horrifying pain- that much agony was something I never had experienced before.

So then, I tried to sleep. But when I was deeply slumbering…that's when everything started to unravel.

When I fell asleep, I had a dream. A dream that, in my heart, I knew wasn't just a figment of my imagination. Any other time, I would've played it off as my brain translating the conversations and the actions that I had experienced in the daytime into the dream world.

But it wasn't.

In this dream, I knew I was around 4 or 5 years old. It was through my perspective, but I knew that I was around that age, just the way I knew my age roughly in other memories I had. In this house, I was in a playroom- playing with a doll with ruby red lips and bright green eyes. And that's when I looked up, and screamed.

Because in front of me, a scaled creature, with huge claws, wide, round eyes, crouched with a bloody mouth. I heard the sound of a gun firing multiple times…and that was when I shot up in my bed, my mouth dry, my head aching, but filled with realization. And more than realizations, with questions.

…I had seen demons before; Dante wasn't crazy. That was why the words had felt so wrong coming out of my mouth. Because demons were…they had to be real. That couldn't have just been a dream; it was a memory. I remembered how being in that room felt, I remembered how seeing that scaled creature felt as though it was imprinted in my brain, in my very core. And no dream could do that.

Somewhere in my past, there had been demons. My father was giving me the medication to suppress my thoughts of them- millions of things occurred to me at once. Had my mother died from a demon attack? Had we moved because of one? Was I…Was my father was keeping me here because of demons? Was that was why I was cyber-schooled, or why I never left LCMH much? Because he was afraid demons would attack?

….But, then, why…why was he keeping Dante downstairs if he knew about demons? He knew that Dante wasn't crazy, then. He…he was keeping Dante there for no reason?

I knew that the next thing to do was talk to my father; all those questions needed answers…but…I couldn't let him know that I hadn't taken my medicine on an inmate's suggestion. I couldn't let him know that I had betrayed his trust. I'd need to figure something else out.

Some way to broach the topic of demons with my dad. Some way to talk to him about the past; some way to ask him about my medicine.

Some way, to ultimately convince my father to let Dante go.

**Bridgettalladega: So, hope you enjoyed! Please, review and let me know how I'm doing! You've been so wonderful about that so far and I want to thank you so much for that!3 It keeps me happy!**

**Best Friend: And happy= more chapters! **


	8. Crazy Bitch

**Bridgettalladega: HELLO! I HAVE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH3**

**Best Friend: She's just been too busy with school...**

**Bridgettalladega: BUT! In honor of the trailer I saw for DMC today, I decided to release this! So please, please enjoy my lovelies! **

"Dante…you were right. About the demons. About…about all of that. And I just didn't remember. Didn't know." I whispered, staring down at my hands days later. I hadn't been up to seeing Dante the past few days, because every time I tried to move, my body, still recovering from medication withdrawal, would scream in protest. The shakes had only just began to subside, and the constant headache I had was only ebbing away slightly as I adjusted to the pain. I had been fooling my father for almost a week now, trying to see how many memories I had of demons that were being suppressed.

"…Stupid bastard. I don't know why he's giving you the same freaking medication as us."

So far, I had regained almost 20 memories, ranging from the time I was 3 to the time I was 8. I had begun realizing recently that the medication only had blocked memories that were particularly traumatizing. Ones that were particularly gory…

And I knew that the worst were yet to come.

"…I know you're not crazy now, Dante." I murmured, as he stretched on the cot next to me, laughing and smirking slightly.

"Well damn, took you long enough." I sighed, clasping my head in my hands.

"Dante?"

"Hmm?"

"…I'm going to talk to my father about…you. And all of this. And maybe…maybe he'll believe me. And…"

"What're you saying, Kitty?" Dante propped himself up on his elbows, watching me intently. His eyes were so blue…so powerful. I took a deep breath, shutting my eyes tightly.

"I'm going to try to get you out." I peeked to see Dante's reaction, watching carefully his movements and expressions, trying to tell his feelings.

Dante stared at me as though now I was the psychotic one, before he leaned back, closing his eyes.

"…Good luck, you crazy bitch."

And five hours later, those words were still resonating in my ears. I checked on the chicken in the oven, hurrying around my apartment to make sure everything was perfect for the dinner I was going to have for my father. He was always more agreeable after he ate…maybe if I prepared his favorite dinner- chicken and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy- he'd be more willing to listen to my idea.

My stomach churned dangerously as I thought about telling my father of Dante. I didn't know how he'd feel, or how he'd react to me going and seeing him every day. But then again, he had no qualms about me visiting other patients…why was Dante any different? No, but I knew that my father would think Dante was different- and that was what was so worrying.

I shook my head, setting dinner down on the table as there was a knock on the door. I knew my face was as pale as a sheet as I opened the door with trembling hands.

"Hey, Daddy!" I smiled as he pulled me into a tight hug.

"My little girl, so selfless! Not feeling well and still made my favorite dinner!" I lead him over to the table, sitting across from him.

Was I sure about this? Was I truly, one-hundred-percent sure that I wanted to talk about Dante? How well did I know him, after all? How was I sure that he truly wasn't dangerous, wasn't just tricking me into thinking that he was someone nicer than he actually was…not that Dante was actually nice, but he certainly didn't belong here.

Or so I thought. No, no, I knew. Because I knew Dante; sure, it had only been a little under 4 months, but I did know him. And I trusted him, just like he trusted me…if only a little. This was the right thing to do because Dante was not crazy; I knew, and I remembered the demons myself.

That thought was the one that pushed the words finally out of my mouth.

"Daddy?" I questioned, watching as he chewed on his food thoughtfully. He swallowed, staring up at me.

"Yes, Kitty?"

"…Daddy, I've been…thinking."

"About what, sweetheart?" I took a deep breath, pressing my nails into my palm. Crazy bitch, for certain.

"I…Daddy, have you ever wondered if some of the people that are here…don't necessarily need to be here?"

"Why, no, I can't say I have. What were you thinking?"

"Well…I feel like some of them wrongly get placed in here. Like, they really don't need our institution. They need…to get back out, you know? Into the world; assimilate again." I took a sip of my water, trying to keep from bursting out in my point. Maybe if I just let the idea simmer with him, he'd see my point when I brought it up…

"Like who, dear? It sounds like you have a specific patient in mind."

"Uhm…patient 64432B." It felt like the room went deadly still as my dad ran through charts in his head. His eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he set down his fork.

"…Katelynn Rose Greston…have you been talking with this patient." His voice was low, almost a growl, and I nodded quickly.

"Yes, I didn't think anything-"

"Of going to the basement? Are you going crazy? What were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous it is down there?" His voice was furious, in a way I had never heard it before.

"Daddy, Dante-"

"You're on a first name basis with him? Oh, for Christ sake Katelynn, what were you thinking?" He pushed away from the table, ranting and raving.

"Dante's not crazy, Dad!" I cried, trying to be heard over the sound of him pacing around the room, yelling at me for not being more careful and for not being safer.

"And you know this for a fact? You trust him, a convicted criminal, over your own father?"

"Dad! I-" My dad crossed the room over to me, grabbing my shoulders.

"Katelynn, don't you dare go visit that patient ever again! He is a filthy, disgusting, vile person who's messed with minds a lot stronger than yours and you thought you could trust him? Is it that easy to trick you, you idiot!" It felt like a slap across the face, and tears stung my eyes.

"…Dad, he's not-" My dad began pacing away again, throwing his hands in to the air.

"DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME KATELYNN! You're just a child; do you think you understand anything yet? DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE ANY SAY IN THIS? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT BOY IS IN HERE FOR-"

"Dad, I know Dante's not crazy because he believes in demons! And demons are real because I remember them!" I screamed, as his eyes widened. He turned to me slowly, walking towards me until he was only inches from my face.

"…What did you say?" He asked, his voice deadly, slow. I felt fear creeping into my stomach; I hadn't meant to let that slip. I didn't…I hadn't wanted to let him know that…

"Nothing."

"Katelynn Rose Greston…did I just hear what I thought I did." It wasn't a question; it was a statement, and that was what made it all the worse.

"Dad-"

"Katelynn, do you know what could've happen if you don't taken your medicine? You're too young to understand the complications of that! You will be taking your medicine and I will see that you swallow it, EVERY SINGLE DAY! IS THAT CLEAR? IS THAT CRYSTAL CLEAR, YOUNG LADY?"

I bit down on my lip, crossing my arms against my chest. No, it wasn't crystal clear. It wasn't going to happen, because I was going to keep remembering. I didn't know why my dad harbored such hatred against Dante, but it wasn't right. Because he knew Dante wasn't insane; my dad knew about demons himself.

"Yes." I felt the tears falling down my face as I returned to my room, slamming the door shut behind me.

If one plan fails…you try another. And one was gnawing at my mind as I laid in bed that night, thinking of other ways to help Dante. One that was…slightly different than telling my father and getting his approval.

**Bridgettalladega: So what do you think! I hope you really enjoyed reading, because I loved writing this chapter for you3 Please review, if you may! I would appreciate it ever-so-much3**


	9. Another Plan to Try

**Bridgettalladega: Hello everyone! (Or, more or less, everyone who is still left)**

**Best Friend:...There weren't a lot of reviews last time, so she's kind of worried that you guys don't like her story any-**

**Bridgettalladega: Shh! Don't tell them that! Honestly, I'm grateful for everyone who has been reading and reviewing so far, and if I don't get another review, I'll still be pleased. You've all been a great audience so far, putting up with my horrible schedule, and I appreciate it:3 So, without further ado, here is the next chapter! Enjoy! **

I had never been one to disobey authority. I had asserted myself, maybe even voiced my opinion once or twice, but never blatantly went against the ways of those older than me. I never even thought about it, actually…

Until, somehow, my dad had crossed that line between what was right and what was wrong in my mind. Then I started to think about everything; all the choices he had made for me that I accepted, without protest, without complaint. Every little thing- from keeping me homeschooled, to giving me medicine I hadn't known the purpose for and everything in between.

He had crossed the line so many times, but I hadn't known because I had never drawn the line for myself. I had let him decide where to place it; but that had changed, the night of the argument.

I thought that I would wake up the next morning refreshed, and ready to go back to listening to him again. But it kept nagging at me; why? Why keep Dante here if you knew he wasn't insane? It wasn't sitting right with me; Dante…didn't need a mental hospital. He didn't need to be here…because the things he believed in were real. Not made up; I knew, personally and so did my father. Because he was in those memories that I had; a voice in the background, a hand shielding my eyes.

He knew that demons existed. He knew it was wrong to keep Dante here. My hero had fallen.

Those words kept ringing in my head and made me taste bile every time I thought about it. I didn't know when I had developed such a strong sense of justice; was it from seeing patients and treating them as fairly as possibly every day for as long as I could remember? Was that where I got my streak of righteousness?

There were so many things I didn't know, so many speculations I had and so few facts that I held onto the things I knew for dear life.

Besides I knew that this feeling was not just teenage rebellion, was not just angst or anger over being yelled at…it had substance. It had power, even though the control it held over me sometimes made me fearful, made me worried.

But the feeling I had whenever I thought of my new plan…that felt right too. Terrifying, ridiculous…but right.

And I was quickly learning to trust my gut.

I waited for a few days before heading back down to the cellar again; I didn't take my medicine, as per request of my father- I instead would hide them, of course, in a napkin, in my gums, anywhere that I could so that keep remembering. Keep regaining the memories that had made me, me. I wanted to know why Dante still remembered everything; why he felt the symptoms of the medicine, but it never worked for him. But that was for another day…another time, when it would be easier to talk to him freely.

So, one day, after another week of not seeing Dante, I made my way down to the basement. I was worried that the guards had already been warned about me not being allowed down here anymore, but when I got downstairs, all was quite. Tranquil even; it seemed like Joul was busy attending to another patient somewhere else, so I quickly darted towards Dante's cell. I fumbled with the spare key before finally flinging open the latch.

Dante laid, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. His attention swiveled towards me as soon as I slipped into the cell, shutting the door quietly behind me.

"…Look who finally decided to come back." I sat down next to him, smiling softly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to-"

"Whatever. It's nothing." He didn't look particularly phased, but something in the tone of his voice told me that he actually was hurt. And the news that I was bringing, about my father refusing to help him, would certainly do nothing to lighten the mood.

"…Dante?"

"What?" He propped himself up on his elbows, staring at me intently.

"My father…he doesn't want…he isn't going to help you." Dante rolled his eyes, pushing his hair back with his hand.

"Of course he's not; it was stupid to think he was going to do something other than be a jackass." Dante closed his eyes, in a gesture I had learned meant that he was shutting himself off from the situation. I may not have the most social experience, but I did have a wider psychological background than most people I knew.

"Do you miss the outside, Dante?" I questioned as he let out a gruff laugh.

"Are you fucking with me, Kitty?" I bit my lip, trying to figure out whether to chide him or not. I was used to his foul language, so it didn't bother me much anymore…but I knew that it wouldn't be taken so lightly by others. He would need to get adjusted to acting and speaking more appropriately if I was going to…If I was even thinking of…

"So, I'm guessing that's a yes?" Dante ran his fingers through his hair, sighing.

"Of course, Kitty-cat." My stomach gave a flip as I leaned closer to him, letting my lips brush against his ear. He flinched back, but quickly, I grabbed his shoulder, pulling him closer to me.

"What if I could…get your out there again?" Dante jumped back, staring at me with wide eyes.

"What do you mean out there? Outside?" I quickly put my finger to his lips, my eyes widening as I shushed him.

"Quiet! Do you want them to catch us?" I hissed, as he shook his head.

"But what do you mean…how would you? I'm in here for a long, long time babe, and your dad already said no to letting me loose." We sat in the silence as I stared at him intently, my mind racing.

Dante…he had nothing else to lose. They had already taken away his rights, tried to take away his memories, and shoved him into here. But how badly did he want freedom? How much would he being willing to give to get it? Would…would he do anything, say anything…or was he content to wait out his stay in the cell? Would he gamble it all?

And…what about me? What would I be willing to risk? Was this even my place to suggest helping him get outside? What if I was being naïve, gullible, and I was helping a criminal back into society?

But…what if by helping him, I could help an innocent boy go back to his life?

"….I think I…I think I have plan." I bit my lip harder, running my hand through my hair. My mind, though racing, kept replaying the same thought over and over again. The same idea, nagging at my rational. It felt right. It was right. It was the right thing to do.

Going with my gut never felt so difficult.

"What?" I inched towards him, until I was practically on his lap. I pressed my lips against his ear, and lowered my voice to its' lowest setting.

"…I have blueprints. Of the whole building."

**Bridgettalladega:...Are you all okay! Did any of you faint?...I hope not! Hahaha, I'm sorry if I shocked you too bad! Please, review and...review...to let me how I'm doing! (Sort of like those, "How's my driving!" things, but with writing)**


	10. How Did We Get Here?

**Bridgettalladega: HI! OH GUYS I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH! I HAD HORRIBLE WRITER'S BLOCK THAT SPIRALED ME INTO DEPRESSION BECAUSE I COULDN'T WRITE AND I FELT SO HORRIBLE BUT NOW I'M BACK AND I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER/3**

**Best Friend:...She really is sorry.**

**Bridgetalladega: Fanfiction really looks different from over 3 months ago! I hope some of you are still here; I really have missed writing and I've missed you all so much3 Please enjoy this meager offering (I promise on my life to update more frequently)**

So we planned it out; Dante wanted something dramatic, something that would be a big "screw you" to my father and all those who had trapped him inside his cell for so long. I wanted something safe, something that I knew would work and would guarantee us getting out with the least amount of time lost and people affected.

Due to my having control of the blueprints, and me being the one who suggested the idea in the first place, it was my plan that we tried to figure out.

There were so many things to consider- so many options and ways to go, that it seemed as though almost every plan came to a dead end or had too many variables to be worth anything. Dante seemed to sense how uneasy I was feeling as we were planning- he knew that, without a doubt, I had just as much to lose as he did if our plan failed.

So when he suggested an idea, a plan that he had been coming up with since I had suggested the idea months ago, it seemed flawless; perfect. It was like Dante had thought of everything; it was like he had put aside his own need to screw everyone over, and focused on the goal of getting out. It seemed like it could go off without a hitch; smoothly, if everything played out right.

But, I guess if it had gone over smoothly, he and I wouldn't have been standing on the fire-escape of the Limbo City Mental Hospital, with police sirens roaring in the distance and a massive lock-down going on inside.

The plan had started out going great; the night before everything was set to go down, Dante and I had begun to work on our disguises. I had travelled down to the basement wearing a hooded jacket; it wasn't out of the ordinary to wear that now that it was winter and the basement was a toasty 30 degrees at all time, and no one would suspect that inside the pockets, I was hiding scissors.

Because Dante was going to have to disguise me, and I knew that I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own; earlier that afternoon, I had dyed my beautiful deep-red hair a disgusting, patchy shade of dark brown, but I hadn't been able to cut my locks off. I had tried and failed multiple times to take the scissors to them, to shear them away, but I couldn't do it, even though I knew it was for the greater good.

So I knew I had to beg Dante to do it. And when I sat down in front of him, he looked uneasy, to put it nicely. But he had gathered up my hair, and clipped my waist-length tresses until they fell unevenly beneath my ears.

That was when I should've known our plan was going to be shaky, at best. I hadn't seen that as sign, but that I had simply grown attached to what I had considered my normal look.

I had been able to hide my new disguise from my father the next morning, and that night, when I had shoved everything we'd need into my hooded jacket, I was feeling pretty confident. When I had slipped Joul the laxatives that were needed to clear him from the basement, I felt even better.

But I should've known too much confidence usually causes one to make mistakes.

When I got to Dante's cell, I had flung open the door, to find him waiting with the bags I had hidden in his cell the previous day; with things like clothes, and the money I had been able to save, he and I darted down the hallway at full-speed, waiting impatiently for the elevator that seemed to be too-slow.

We had heard the guard station toilet flush as the elevator doors had closed, and for the first time since entering the basement, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Once inside the elevator, Dante had scrambled out of his clothes, and I had turned away, embarrassed.

"What?" He had asked, and I had felt myself blush a bright pink. Really, it had been no time to be getting self-conscious…but…

"I- it's nothing!" I had heard Dante chuckle under his breath.

"Kitty, if you're concerned about me seeing you undress, I've been tortured for over a year. Nothing fazes me now." I had blushed a deeper red, turning to him.

"I know! But…but…I haven't been." He had cocked an eyebrow, smirking.

"Well, well, well, Daddy's little princess not as pure as she seems?"

I couldn't help it; even though it was a time of emergency, of extreme pressure, I had drunk in his appearance. His face, chiseled but still so youthful looking, with a cocky smirk adorning it…his blue eyes, crinkling in surprise, but maybe there was even a hint of embarrassment there…bruises, oh yes, and scars, but more than that…strong shoulders. Strong looking body, which had to have been extremely toned at one point….the hint of abs, even though his ribs looked like they were protruding more now…a thin trail of dark brown hair leading to…  
>I had blushed even more as my thoughts traveled south, and quickly I had turned back around, ripping off the sweatshirt that I had been wearing.<p>

Dante had whistled, and I had bowed my head as hastily, I had buttoned the dress shirt that I'd be wearing.

That was the only easy part of the night; looking back now, things had all gone downhill from there.

And I'll admit; it was my fault. I had forgotten the fake-key cards Dante and I needed to get out. They were upstairs, resting under my pillow, and I knew that if we didn't escape, it would be all on my shoulders. Somehow though, Dante had gotten the idea that if we simply ran upstairs to get them, we'd be okay.

See, we had made it upstairs fine; we had gotten to my room before there was a loud wail of a sirens, and furious knocking on my door. I had paled considerably, and even Dante, strong-willed, bullheaded Dante looked nervous.

"Shit, just hide!" Dante had crept off, burying himself into the pile of clothes in the bottom of the closet. I had realized with a groan that the pile was home to my bras and underwear, but I couldn't care now. I had quickly tied the terry-cloth robe, as the knocking on my door became more persistent.

"Kitty! Katelynn, open up!" I had thrown the towel over my head, and undid the lock on the door.

"Hi Dad, what's up?" He had pushed his way into my room, pacing back and forth.

"Kitty, I need you to stay up here, okay?"  
>"Why, what's wrong?" My stomach had dropped, as my dad ran his hand through his hair.<p>

"Apparently, someone from the basement broke out! I don't know how it could've happened…so you need to stay here so that you're safe!" I had nodded, burying my face in my hands.

"Oh my goodness, how did they get out!?"

"Apparently, the bastard is one of the trickier ones…shit, I knew that we should've kept doing around the clock guarding!" I had put my hands on my dad's back, pulling him into a hug.

"Don't worry Dad; I'm sure you'll catch him!" He had chuckled, running his fingers through my hair.

"Oh, I always appreciate your support Kitty…you wouldn't happen to have heard anything, would you?" Now, my stomach had felt like it had cold water splashed into it, and I hastily had shaken my head.

"No…no." My dad had turned around, looking around the room.

"Hm…maybe it'd be a good idea to clean your room while you're at it?" I had bitten my lip so hard I could taste blood as my dad looked at the pile of clothes that Dante was currently hiding under. I had wondered if he could see them rising with each breath, as I had imagined he could? Could he feel the presence of someone there, feel the fear emanating?

"Sure! Sure!...Dad?" He had turned to me again, a trusting look in his eyes. I couldn't believe I was betraying his trust so blatantly…I couldn't…  
>It had been a moment of doubt; a moment where I had felt like a five-year-old who desperately wanted to please her father, wanted her father's approval above all else. But that moment of doubt had passed when I realized that I was no longer in need of anyone's approval but my own- in my short 16 years, I had found something that I believed was right, was just, and I needed to stick to that, no matter what.<p>

"Yes, Kitty?"

"Dad…the prisoner…"

"Yes?"  
>"Maybe he got into one of the patients room." My dad's eyes had widened and he nodded rapidly, walking over to the door.<p>

"You could be right! Smart thinking, Kitty! I better go and alert the staff…you stay here." I had nodded, smiling as he closed the door behind him.

As soon as he left, it was though all the adrenaline fled from my body, and I had felt sickly numb. I wobbled over to the sink and vomited, as my legs trembled underneath me. I didn't know whether they shook from fear, from guilt, or from the fact that I knew I'd never be back in this room, or in this hospital, ever again.

I had paused, waiting a few moments until I found the pattern of Dante's short breaths in the air. At these, I had smiled slightly, running my fingers through my hair.

"Dante…you can get out of there now."

"Oh fucking hell!" Dante cried, as I watched him pop out of the clothes. I had walked over to the closet, standing above him and the pile of dirty clothes that he was sprawled in. Carefully and gingerly, I had reached down and plucked a piece of underwear off Dante's shoulders, trying to seem casual.

"What's wrong?"

"I almost shit my pants!"  
>"Why?" I asked, as he ran his hand through his hair.<p>

"I thought you were going to give me away!" I had pulled him out of the clothes pile, shaking my head.

"If you had gotten caught, my head would've rolled too, remember." He walked over to the kitchen area, putting his hands behind his head.

"Nice to know you're protecting me to save your own ass." I sat on my bed, shaking my head.

"Now you know that I won't give you up, at least." He had stood by the kitchen table, staring out the window.

"Limbo City…soon, we'll be out there." A sickening feeling arose in my stomach, and I felt near tears as I replayed my father's conversation with me. I looked over at Dante, not sure how to break the new information to him.

"Dante…you know this means we can't go out the front door, right?" He had whipped his head around, his grip on the chair turning his knuckles white. He bowed his head, nodding.

"You're right…your dad is probably checking everywhere now…I'd say we've got 10 minutes. Maybe 15 before the cops show." I bit my lip, throwing the towel off my head. I was wondering how the hell would we get out now, when we had come this far, only to be stuck in my room! That wasn't fair, that wasn't…that wasn't how this was supposed to end!

How…

My gaze traveled to the window, as I had remembered something very important about the surroundings of the mental facility.

"Dante?"

"What?"

"There's…there is, a staircase." His head had perked up, and I grinned at him.

"What-"

"But we have to go, right now." He jumped up, as we bolted out of the room.

And that's how we got to where we were now; standing on the fire escape, the city gleaming below us as the sirens howled, closer and closer to their prey.

**Bridgettalldega: I hope that wasn't horrible...I hope you all enjoyed it. I know, its probably not as good as my normal writing, but I'm trying to get back to writing3 Please review to let me know you're still here?3 **


	11. Freedom For Now

**Bridgettalladega: Hello all you lovely people reading this story! I hope that all of you are doing well! I, myself, am sick): So, while I'm missing school, I thought it would give me a great opportunity to work on this!**

**Best Friend: Actually, she would always rather be writing than going to school -_-  
><strong>

**Bridgettalladega: This is true! I can only hope you all enjoy reading my writing as much as I enjoy writing for you:3 So, please, enjoy! **

"Shit. Shit!" Dante growled, running his fingers through his hair as he closed his eyes. We were trapped; as soon as we had heard the sirens, only about five blocks from the hospital, we knew that we had messed up. Or, I had messed up. This was all my fault if we got caught now- shit, what would happen to Dante if we were caught?!

What would happen to me?!

"What do we do now?" I questioned, my voice shaky, my hands trembling as a strong breeze whipped against my face. I stared at the ground below us- the alleyway must be at least 10 feet wide, and the ground…the ground must be at least 70 feet…below us.

"I don't know, Kitty! This was your dumb-ass plan!" Dante grasped at the railing, groaning.

The sirens were closing in, their lights shining off the abandoned buildings around us- blue, red, bright white; they knew the seriousness of this situation- they were coming in a herd; maybe 10, maybe more.

"We could…we could climb-"

"There's no way we could climb down, Katelynn! For fuck's sake, use your head!" Dante slammed his fist against the brick wall behind us, and I closed my eyes, quickly racing through options in my mind.

If we couldn't go down…and we couldn't go back inside…we'd have to go across.

We'd have to jump.

"No way in hell." I muttered under my breath, and Dante grasped my shoulders, staring at me intently.

"Don't lie to me- you just thought of something. I've seen you with that look before." I shook my head, averting my gaze from his.

"No, I-"

"Stop lying Katelynn! Do you know how screwed we're going to be if we're-"

"I WAS THINKING OF JUMPING ACROSS. DO YOU SEE HOW STUPID THAT IDEA IS NOW, DANTE!?-"

No sooner had the words passed my lips then a look of determination crossed Dante's face. His grip slackened on my shoulders, and he eyed the building across from us. His gaze lingered on the fire escape, jutting from the building's crumbling brick wall.

"Look, it's a stupid idea Dante, I-"

"I'm going first." I barely heard him over the wail of the sirens, now increasingly closer, sounding only a block away. But when the words registered in my mind, my eyes had widened, and I had opened my mouth to stop him.

But it was too late- Dante had pressed himself against the wall, and vaulted himself over the alleyway.

When I closed my eyes, I think I screamed- I could barely hear my own thoughts at this point-but when I looked across the alleyway again, relief flooded through me. Dante was standing there, pressed against the wall, motioning for me to join him.

A wave of nauseous flooded through me- oh, hell, now it was my turn- and I rapidly shook my head.

"I can't!" My voice was panicky, and I felt my legs wobbling beneath me. Dante glared at me, as there was a flood of bright, white light.

The police were here. I could hear the tires, and the sounds of thudding boots as they rushed into the building.

Quickly, Dante and I pressed ourselves against the wall, and I buried my face in my hands.

"Just run and jump to the fire escape!" I laughed bitterly at Dante's advice, and I crossed my arms against my chest.

"Easy for you to say, you idiot! Come over here and get me!" I demanded, and at this, it was Dante's turn to laugh.

"And risk being caught?! Not a chance in hell!"

I felt tears begin to form in my eyes, and rapidly, I blinked them away. I knew that I'd have to risk everything I had to get Dante out; but my life?! Had I ever thought that this plan would possibly take that too?!

"Dante, I'm not strong enough to get over there!" I cried, and Dante extended his hand, an exasperated look on his face.

"Just try, goddamn it!"

I knew that I couldn't go back; I couldn't go back inside and leave Dante to escape on his own. This plan would only be complete if I got out too, and knowing that, I would never forgive myself if I turned back now. And if I couldn't go back…I'd just have to keep moving forward.

So I took a deep breath and sprung over guardrail, launching myself towards Dante.

When I felt my grip slip on the railing, I thought I was done for; I let out a harsh shriek, but I felt a pair of strong arms wrap under mine. I opened my eyes as Dante yanked me against the wall, the pair of us slamming hard enough into the building to dislodge some bricks.

Pressed this close to Dante's chest, I could feel how rapidly his heart was hammering, and I held my breath, trying to calm my own pulse down.

"We've got to move; come on, we can get through this building."

That was how we got out; as soon as we untangled ourselves from each other, we bolted in through the window and out the back-exit. I allowed Dante to take my hand as he drug us through multiple alleyways, through backstreets, through abandoned paths- because even though I was the one who had always been free to explore the city at my leisure, I knew Dante would forever know Limbo City better than I did.

We finally came to rest in one of the many alleyways that we had travelled through, on the roof of a beat-up, run-down old car. Far enough away from the hospital that the siren's piercing wail was nothing more than an annoying hum in the distance, far enough on the outskirts of the city that no one would expect to find us.

Panting, I turned to Dante, who had a grin plastered on his face.

"We're out." He grinned, and even though my heart felt like it was bursting in my chest, I found myself breaking into a wide-smile.

"We're out!" I screamed, as Dante sat up, tilting his face to the sky.

"We're out! DID YOU HEAR THAT!? I'M FREE!" He cried, and I started laughing, throwing my head back and listening as my heart slowed in my chest.

All around us, I felt the overwhelming feeling of freedom. Of finally being able to be my own person; of being released from the restraints that held me back for so long. I took a deep breath; it even felt easier to breathe out here, underneath nothing more than the heavy darkness of the sky.

I turned to Dante, wondering if by the smile still plastered on his face, he felt the same way.

"…Dante?" I started, as soon as I could control my breath well enough to get words back out.

"Yeah?"

"What now?"

"…I think I know somewhere we can go tomorrow, if you'll be up to it."

"But for now?" Dante hopped off the roof of the car, walking over to the passenger-side door and swinging it open exaggeratedly.

"For now, we stay right here, in our chariot." I rolled my eyes, sliding off the roof and clambering inside the car's dented interior, sighing happily. Dante was right- for now; we would just savor these few quite moments before we had to move again.

Because, as much freedom as I had felt when we were laying outside, I knew that we were truly on the run; we wouldn't be free until we had escaped this whole wicked, dirty city.

**Bridgettalldega: O.o How was it?! Did you like it?! I hope to hear that you did3 If you want to leave me a review, that would absolutely make my whole...whole month, probably! So, please? Review?3 **


	12. The Kids Your Parents Warned You About

**Bridgettalladega: Herro guys! I'm back:3 I missed you- and, uh, I hope you missed me?**

**Best Friend: I'm sure they did!**

**Bridgettalladega: Well, either way, here's my new chapter! Some of these new characters...god I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!:D (Some of them are modeled after my friends3) Anyway, enjoy!**

When I was shaken awake with the drool still dribbling down my chin, I almost thought I was still asleep. I hadn't remembered going to bed inside a dirty car, in an alley littered with broken bottles and shards of glass, so I assumed that it was possible that I was still dreaming.

But, of course, as soon as I saw Dante, and realized it was his hands roughly drawing me into consciousness, all of last night's events came flooding into my mind, and suddenly I was worried.

"Wha-" Dante shook his head, drawing me in close to him.

"Shut up- can you hear that?"

I listened closely for a few moments, then slowly, I shook my head. All I could hear was Dante's slow heartbeat- a calm, steady pulse that didn't match the inflection in his voice.

"Shit. They're getting closer." My eyes widened as Dante sprung out of the car and rushed towards the passenger side door, motioning for me to follow him.

Once again, he grabbed my hand and we flew down the street; the sky above us was a milky color- the first signs of dawn peeking through the darkness. That meant we had slept only a little over 4 hours- so that's why I felt so exhausted as ran break-neck speed down the sidewalk.

"Dante, what's-"

"…Demons, Kitty. Can't you feel them?" I shook my head again- everything still seemed perfectly normal to me…but demons? How did Dante seem to hear them? To feel them, as he expected me to be able to? I wanted to ask him, but as our speed picked up, I felt as though I was barely gasping in enough air to breathe, and saved the question for later.

Dante took us down another long street, followed by a few shorter alleyways, until we were on a backstreet that I hadn't even known existed. Strung from window to window were clothes lines, each hanging clothes that were ripped and torn, with faded colors and an unwashed look to them. The buildings looked as though they were uninhabitable- the doors were off their hinges, the windows smashed in. There were no sounds on this whole street- except for the cackling of laughter, a few side-streets down.

Here, Dante slowed to a jog, before finally coming to stop against one of the walls, slumping to the ground.

"Dante, where…are we?" I wheezed, sitting down next to him. He ran his fingers through his hair, smirking.

"One of my old-time haunts…still looks like shit, I see."

"I guess I'm so used to looking at the city from my window, I didn't even know these places existed." Dante turned to me, wide-eyed.

"You mean you had the chance to get out, and you stayed inside?!" I nodded, trying to steady my breaths.

"My dad…he told me that the medicine I was taking…was because I was sickly. So I stayed inside, because I didn't want to get sick like he told me I did a lot when I was little." Dante spit on the ground, shaking his head.

"Your father is a bastard." I felt a hot blush stain my cheeks and I bit down on my tongue to keep from saying anything.

A few minutes later, Dante stood up, extending his hand to me in that same mock-chivalry he had opened the car door with only hours ago.

"Well, are you ready to meet them?"

"…Meet who…"

"The people who'll be able to get us out of this shit hole, of course." I stared up at him with wide-eyes.

"Dante…I'm not sure…"

"Come on Princess- graduate to the life of the villains." He held out his hand, and I took it unsurely. If these truly were the only people that could keep us hidden from the cops…well, I guess that I'd have to accept it. It was the only way that Dante could think of to get us on a train headed out of here, and I would not get in the way of those plans.

We walked down the street to where the laughter was coming from- on the walls of the alleyway, a warm glow was being cast- as I got closer, I could smell the sweet stench of something cooking over a fire, and my stomach rumbled as I realized that Dante and I hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday.

Pulling me out of my thoughts was the same loud, rowdy voice that had been laughing only seconds ago. It came from a man with bright blue hair and wide brown-eyes, sitting perched on top of a dumpster, with a cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Oh shit, look who it is! Outta the hell house, D?! And ya brought a bitch with ya!" I took a deep breath, as Dante smiled cockily. This man looked to be about Dante's age, or maybe even a little bit younger. There were a few people around this man's age, milling around the small, almost campsite-looking alleyway. It was a strange sight to see- there were little shacks set up, and I could only assume them to be the homes of these…teenagers.

"Yeah buddy, whaddya think I was doing in there all this time?!"I bit my lip- although we'd only be with this group a few days at the most…was Dante sure that this was the only way to make sure we were safe? I mean…these people didn't look…like they would draw attention away from the cops. If anything, it seemed like we'd attract interest with so many…disdainful characters.

"She got a name?" The man with the blue hair hopped down from the dumpster, smirking at us as he crossed his arms.

"Kitty."

"Oi, Kitty- is it because ya get alotta that pussy from her, D?" My cheeks turned scarlet as I glared at the man.

"Of course he-" I interjected, as Dante's hand slid lower on my back.

"Well, let's just say that Bambi ain't gonna be too happy with her." The man let out a howl, bounding towards Dante and pulling him into some kind of weird hug. The man pushed back his hair, eying me up and down. I crossed my arms against my chest, biting down on my lip.

"Looks like lil' Kitty here ain't got alotta bite in 'er. Ya sure ya wanna keep her and not stay with Bangin' Bambi?"

"She don't look it, but she got a sweet fight in her. Don't you, Kitty?" Dante purred, nuzzling his face into my neck. I pushed him off of me, biting down harder on my lip to keep from tearing up.

I was…scared. Yes, that's what this feeling was. I was out of my surroundings and these people didn't seem to be the type that had gone to my online school. These were the kids that my father had always warned me about- the ones that ended up in the basement level of our hospital; the ones that my father swore would only want to harm someone like me.

I hadn't even noticed another man lumbering out from one of the small shacks- this one had jet-black hair and piercings, smattered over his face like freckles.

"Oy, look who is it! D, you're back!"

"Hey man, what's up!? Look at you- still as fucking ugly as ever!" I grimaced at Dante's remarked ,but the man laughed, giving Dante the same sort of hug that the blue-haired man had.

"And you broughta girl with you! What's her name!"

"Katelynn." I interjected, and the man with the blue-hair howled as though this was the best joke he had ever heard.

"She's shittin' ya Kane- her name's Kitty." Kane looked at me with a slight smirk, and then he bowed, sticking out his hand.

"'Tis nice doth meet you, Kitty Katelynn. The pleasure of meeting the acquaintance-"

"Dude, ya're fucking it all up. Ya supposed to say, "'Tis a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Kitty Katelynn." The man with the blue hair scowled, and Kane stood up, scratching his head.

"Look man, I didn't take no fuckin' Shakespeare course in high-school like you did, Ace." Ace sighed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms against his chest.

"I told ya I only took that because the teacher was hot, man." Dante laughed, clapping Ace on the back.

"Yeah, you probably got with that, didn't ya?" Ace shoved Dante backwards, howling.

"Ya know it, D!"

"What is with all this racket out here? I can barely hear myself-"

Out of another one of the shacks came one of the prettier girls I had ever seen- she had soft looking brown hair that fell to her shoulders, and bright blue eyes that seemed so quiet, so calm. Pairing those traits with the fact that she had a fairly-large gun strapped to her leg made her seem equally, if not more, terrifying than pretty.

"Mo, look who's back!" Kane called, and Mo clasped her hands to her mouth.

"No shit! Dante?!" She ran towards him, and Dante planted a firm kiss on her mouth- Mo pulled back, blushing slightly.

"Does anyone else kiss like that, Mo?" She shook her head, smiling slightly before kissing Dante on the cheek again.

"No one ever does or ever will, D." She laughed, and Ace ran his fingers through his blue-hair.

"Well shit, I just never thought I'd see ya again…damn, how the fuck did ya get outta there?"

"Kitty actually-"

"Wait, hold up. SHE helped ya outta there? No offense, Kitty Katelynn, but ya ain't gotta alotta bite in ya." I crossed my arms against my chest, and Dante shrugged.

"What can I say? She's got balls when she needs 'em."

"…Is she your girl, D?" Dante patted Mo's head, and Mo looked up at him with sad eyes.

"No one could ever replace you or Bambi. You know that." Mo rolled her eyes, throwing her hand up in the air as she walked away.

"I might as well tell Bambi you're here…" Dante chuckled under his breath, and I felt so out of place here. It was like Dante was coming home…and I was just tagging along.

"DANTE?! You're back!?" I felt even more out of place as a girl in a flimsy old man's tee-shirt rushed out, her brown hair flying behind her as she flung herself into Dante's arms. As I looked, I could see that she was fairly curvy…so that's why the called her-

"Hey Bambi- you haven't changed one bit, have ya?" Bambi smiled, smothering Dante's face with kisses.

"I don't know…you'll have to see for yourself, won't you?"

As Ace howled in laughter again, I sighed, wondering just how long it would be that we were going to stay with this gang.

**Bridgettalladega: So...how did you like it? O.o I hope you enjoyed reading3 I would absolutely love it if you could review- it honestly means the world to me3 I love all of you ^_^; thank you for sticking with my story this far:'3 **


	13. Can I Trust You?

**Bridgettalladega: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! I'm always so surprised and so...humbled that people actually take the time to read and then review my writing! It means so much to me, honestly!**

**Best Friend: She does get pretty excited when she checks her email and sees that someone has reviewed...  
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**Bridgettalladega: I really do! So, here's another chapter ^_^ Hopefully ya'll enjoy this one; it's...honestly, it's one of my few attempts to ever write anything like this...so, please enjoy!**

But, as it turned out, I didn't have much time to continue my wondering for just then Dante's eyes narrowed and he tilted his head to the side- the same look he had been wearing when we had bolted from the car.

Only Kane and I seemed to notice however that Dante's look had changed- the rest of them were chatting happily, as though nothing had changed.

"Dude, are they close?" Kane asked, and Dante nodded. Quickly, Kane grabbed Bambi by the shoulders, turning her so that she was looking directly at him.

"Go get the rest of the stuff- D says they're close again." Mo's eyes had widened a fraction of an inch as silence fell over the group- Bambi rushed back into her shack, appearing moment later with a knife, the blade of which seemed to be a sharpness I had never seen before.

"Here, Ace." She threw the knife at him and he caught it expertly, as he stood beside Dante, whose brow was still knitted with the dark lines of anger.

"How many are there, bro?" Dante shrugged, as Bambi walked over to him, handing him something that looked like a longer version of the knife she had handed Ace.

"Dunno- maybe 5?" Kane spat, cussing under his breath.

"Shit; well, I mean, can't say we didn't expect this sometime or another." Kane muttered, unlooping the metal chain he had been wearing around his hips and giving it a crack against the ground.

Cowering, I stood next to Mo, and she turned to me, her eyes narrowed.

"You're the girl Dante came with- Kitty Katelynn, right?" She questioned, and I nodded, my throat already closing up from fear.

"Do you know how to fight, Kitty Katelynn?" I shook my head and she smiled at me; not completely reassuringly, but trying, at least, to be comforting.

"Then you need to hide- stand back here, alright? And try not to make a sound." I nodded, doing as I was told. I felt completely useless right now; and most certainly, I wouldn't try and get involved in this fight because I didn't know anything about killing demons…however, this group certainly seemed to. They oozed a confidence that could only be found from experience- and, to be honest, I was completely curious to see how they would act.

"Dante, Kitty Katelynn's gonna hang back for this one, alright?" Dante nodded almost distractedly, and began walking out into the main street.

The rest of the group began to follow him out into the street- curiosity, getting the better of me, caused me to creep out only a little bit farther so that I could see what was happening.

"…So 5, huh?" Ace questioned, and Dante nodded again.

"One for each of-" Ace didn't get to finish his statement, as all of a sudden, the street began to shake; feeling like some giant was taking large footsteps towards the group.

At first, all I saw was blinding light; soon I realized that Mo had unstrapped her gun and was firing rapidly at the creatures that I could not yet see. As soon she took her finger off the trigger, Kane hurriedly rushed out of my field of view, swinging around the metal chain as he went.

I heard a cracking sound, and then a screech- a bloodcurdling noise that sent shivers down the length of my body.

Soon after, Dante darted forward, followed by Ace and Bambi. I couldn't contain the curiosity that was slowly consuming me- I leaned farther so that I could see everything, the whole length down the street.

And all at once, I wish I hadn't. The creatures that were in the street had long, sharp talons and multiple eyes on top of the scaly head. The most fearsome part about them though, wasn't in their claws or their ability to look more than one place at one- it was their teeth; thousands, snarling and gnashing as they let out yet another screech.

Quickly, I looked around, trying to take in the scene- already I could see that they had downed two demons- one, it looked like, from the bullet holes that cut completely through its swiss-cheese looking scales, and another that had appeared to be slashed to death.

Immediately, I thought of Kane and Mo and those few seconds they had disappeared.

Now Dante was lunging at the demon, stabbing into its flesh as he hurled himself up the side of the body. The demon swatted at him, but he was too fast- he dodge each swipe of the demon's talons, until he stood on the top of the demon's head. At this point, he had to have been at least 20 feet off the ground- the demon took off full-speed down the street, and Dante reached down, clutching onto the demon's eye-sockets.

"BAMBI! LOOK-" Bambi, who at the moment had only been standing in the street, reached under her shirt and whipped out a gun that was nearly as impressive as Mo's. She took careful aim at the demon's face and began to fire her rounds; stunned, the demon let out of a screech and paused just long enough for Dante to stab his knife into the demon's eyes.

Blind, it began to roar, reaching up and grasping Dante between his claws.

"KANE!" Bambi cried out, as Kane, who with the assistance of Ace had just taken down one of the 3 demons who had been standing, ran towards the demon and wrapped the metal chain around the demon's legs.

Ace took this as his cue and hurled himself at the demon, much the way Dante had- except, this time, he sliced the creature down the back, a wave of blood spurting to the ground. The demon gave a finally shrill shriek and fell to the ground, Dante hopping off at the last second before running over to where Mo was.

I hadn't been paying any real attention to Mo- my eye had been drawn towards Dante and the rest as they had worked so fluidly together. But now that I saw her, I wished I had been paying more attention to her- because the demon had since pinned her high up against the wall, and there was a large, gaping wound where I could only guess the demon's claws had dug in.

"Mo!" Kane called, rushing towards her as Dante quickly grabbed Mo's gun from off the ground. He fired a few rounds as Kane took Dante's knife, plunging it into the demon's leg.

The demon hardly gave more than a squeal as it picked Mo up, posing her above its open mouth. I didn't know what to do; I felt so helpless, like I should be able to do something- like I should be able to somehow be able to-

Just then, Dante let out a scream that sounded more powerful than anything that I had heard from the demon's all day- suddenly, Kane stepped back and watched, perhaps just as stunned as I was, as Dante sprung himself off the wall that Mo was pressed against, and jumped high enough into the air to fire a round into the demon's face.

The demon dropped Mo as though he forgot he was holding her at all, and Kane rushed towards her, catching her in his arms.

Dante flew towards the demon, firing yet another round as he did, this time hitting the demon square in the chest.

Another set of rounds came from behind the demon- I found them coming from Bambi, who with perfect aim had hit the demon in exactly the same spots Dante had, causing the bullets to fly out the already-made holes, nearly missing Dante as they did so.

The demon made no noise as it fell to ground on top of its bloodied comrades; the only sounds that could be heard were the soft moans of Mo, and the heavy breathing of Dante.

I stood up, my legs shaky as I hurried over to Kane; in his arms lay Mo- and as I glanced at the cut on her chest, it appeared to be deeper than I had imagined.

"Oh my god." I whispered, as Mo's eyes fluttered open, and she took my hand in hers.

"Don't worry Kitt-" She coughed, and my eyes widened as I watched pink-tinted spittle dribble down her chin.

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, pulling me back.

"Just give her some room, Kitty." It was Dante's voice- I glanced up at him, shaking my head.

"She needs to go to the hospital, though! She's-" Kane knelt to the ground, brushing the sweaty hair out of Mo's face.

"You gonna be able to handle this one, Mo?" Mo let out a soft laugh, and nodded.

"Yeah…I think…I think I'll be just fine." She sat up, wiping the sweat off her face; I was astonished, actually, that she was even able to talk, never mind sitting up.

But that was when I realized that the cut on her chest was no longer oozing- instead, in fact, it looked as though it had almost…almost-

"What the hell." I whispered, sure that if Dante's hand hadn't been on my shoulder, I would've fallen to the ground.

Mo coughed, this time no longer bringing up blood, and she smiled at me softly.

"Well, I guess I have no other choice…Kitty Katelynn, can I trust you?" I think I nodded- I can't remember quite so clearly, but the next thing I knew, Mo was taking my hands in hers and saying:  
>"I'm part demon…part siren, actually. And that's why I healed as fast as I did."<p>

Not even Dante's hands could continue supporting me as I slumped to the ground, and Mo's grip tightened on my hands.

"I mean, you must know about half-breeds, don't you?"

"N-no! I just found out about demons…a couple of months ago." I caught Mo looking questioningly up at Dante, and then shaking her head.

"Well…yes…there are humans walking around, out there in Limbo, or really, all over the world, who are half-demonic, or half-angelic. Sometimes…people can be a mixture of both angel and devil, but still be human as well."

I must have still looked dumbfounded because Mo smiled at me softly.

"Now, that doesn't mean that these crosses are more evil or more good because of these things…it just means that the blood running through their veins enables them to have certain qualities of the other half. Like me, for instance- I can heal a lot faster than normal because of the partially demonic blood in my veins."

"Are there a lot of people like that?!" I asked, and once again, Mo glanced up at Dante. I, too, turned to look up at him, but he averted my gaze as though I wasn't even there.

"…I wouldn't say a lot, but there are some."

"...And it's true, what you're telling me?" Mo nodded, lifting up her shirt, exposing the thin-scar that once was where I was afraid she would bleed to death from.

"Could this be possible any other way?" I shook my head, and Mo smiled at me again.

"…Some half-breeds…well, they decide not to tell people that they're the way they are. They prefer to keep it hidden; sometimes, it's because they can't accept it, themselves." Mo whispered, her voice soft and sad.

I thought about all the people that I had seen in the mental hospital- all the people that hadn't wanted to believe that they were depressed, or had hidden their disorder from those they loved. I always found that really upsetting; it was as though they were afraid they'd be judged for it, when truly, they couldn't help it. They couldn't change the way their mind had functioned, any more than…any more than someone who was a cross could change the fact that their parents had been who they had been.

"…I don't…I don't suppose it's anything that you can control, though. People like you…like crosses, in general…it wasn't their choice whether or not to be that way. And…they shouldn't be ashamed of their blood…because, like you said! It doesn't make them any more good or any more evil." I stated, and Mo's face burst into a wide-grin.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you, Kitty Katelynn. Come on now! Help me up, Kane! We have stuff to get done today!" Kane lifted Mo up from under the arms, and she extended her hand to help me to my feet. I didn't feel Dante behind me anymore, and when I turned to see where he was, I found him walking away from our small group, back to the alleyway.

"Let him go; he's probably just a little tired from fighting." Ace whispered, as I watched Bambi follow after Dante. My frown tightened on my face; something about this unsettled me, but soon enough I was being pulled along by the other members of the group.

Still…I wondered whether or not I should have gone with Dante, instead of Bambi.

But it was obvious he liked her…wanted her, over me- so it was for the best, after all.

**Bridgettalladega: So what did you think?! Did you like it...I hope you liked it D: Its something that's out of my comfort-zone at the moment, but hopefully as this story continues, I'll get really good at writing them ^_^ Please review; they're always appreciated, and they make me feel all happy inside!3 Thank you so much:3 **


	14. Don't Even Notice

**Bridgettalladega: Hi guys! Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter! I'm so pleased to have such amazing, wonderful, beautiful followers of this story ^.^!  
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**Best Friend: She does, in all honesty, really appreciate you guys!**

**Bridgettalladega: And so, I hope I did you proud with this next chapter! It's not much, but it...well, I like it. And I hope you'll enjoy, too!3 **

Apparently, what we had to do that day was go looking for food and supplies- stuff that having Dante there with us would've made a lot easier, simply because there would've been more hands to carry all our things with.

Kane had connections with one of the employees at the supermarket- he was a distant cousin, or something of the sort, Mo explained to me- who was able to give us canned items and other things like that, even beer, which we pushed around in a shopping cart that Ace stole from the front of the store. At this point and time, I was still uneasy being out in Limbo like this- even as far away from the mental hospital as we were- also, it was strange without Dante being near me. I was used to hanging around with him, talking with him every day for months. Being far away from him…certainly put me out of comfort-zone.

But Ace, Kane and Mo weren't bad, as I soon came to find out- actually, they were…well, they were a little crude, but for the most part, funny. Ace told me a lot about what they normally did in the city; stories about how they've ran from the authorities on more than one occasion, and as he proudly boasted, "hadn't gotten caught yet!" I realized then why Dante was so confident in this group's ability to keep us safe from the police that were certainly out looking for us- they, themselves, were in constant hiding and knew all about the tricks that would keep us under the radar.

Soon after we were finished at the grocery store, it was time for Mo to go to work- it came as a shock to me when she handed over her gun to Ace, giving us a short wave as she called over her shoulder that she'd meet up with us after her shift.

"Where does she work…?" I asked, and Kane smiled.

"She's a barista down the block from here…does it so she says we won't always live like garbage." Kane's words took me back- in all honesty, I had first assumed that they were living out on the street…because they were too stubborn and too lazy to try and find anywhere else.

As this day passed, I was quickly beginning to realize my assumptions were horribly wrong.

One of the last stops we made was at the back door of a bar; the one across from where Mo worked, Kane said- Ace knocked on the door in code-fashion, and a guy with wide brown eyes and a lingering smell of grease answered. He looked…a little like Ace; same eyes, same face shape, and roughly the same build- unlike Ace, however, the man who answered looked well-fed.

The only real difference was that his hair was a strawberry-blonde color, and Ace's was a shocking bird's-egg blue.

"Yeah, whaddaya- oh, Chase; why are ya here?" Ace crossed his arms against his chest, glaring.

"Look, don't call me that anymore; it's Ace, I fucking told ya. And I think ya know why I'm here."

"Look bro, I'm not really supposed to be doing this-"

"Ya promised ya would." The boy leaned against the wall, running his fingers through his hair.

"Ya know how worried…everybody's been about ya?" Ace scowled.

"They don't even notice I'm gone."

"…Yes they do. Ace, look I know things weren't always-" Ace punched the man in the jaw, clenching his other fist. Kane put his hands on my shoulders, gently drawing me back.

"Weren't always what, Andy? Weren't always perfect?! Yeah I'd call it really far from fucking perfect when Dad beat the shit out of us, don't you think?!" The man, Andy, rubbed at his face, holding his hands up in the air.

"Alright, whatever. Maybe I deserved that. But you're killing mom with the stress; did you know that? Ya could at least stop by and tell her you're okay- or let me tell her-"

"No fucking way. No way in hell; dude ya promised that you'd keep your trap shut. Look, can ya just give me the shit so I can leave?!" Andy sighed, turning around to go back inside.

Ace turned to Kane and I, scowling.

"Son of a bitch; I should just stop fucking comin', see what the fuck he does the-"

"Ace? Here." Andy returned, holding out in front of him a wad of cash; Ace walked over, snatching them out of his brother's hands.

"And ya sure that they don't notice ya taking this, right?" Andy shook his head, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket, before handing one to Ace, who grudgingly accepted.

"Nope. Like ya said…they don't even notice you're gone." Ace's face looked pained for a moment, before he shrugged.

"Well, fuck 'em, as I always said." He began walking away, Kane and I following before he stopped, turning around.

"Hey, Andy?" Andy's head perked up.

"What?"

"…I hope everything is goin' well for ya." Andy nodded, a sharp, painful nod.

"…Same to ya, Chase."

After that, our group was pretty quiet, walking down the street with our stolen shopping cart full of food. I turned to Ace, but upon seeing his face set in a tight scowl, his eyes filled with tears, I quickly closed my mouth.

"So, Kitty Katelynn…how are you enjoying this side of Limbo City?" Ace asked, breaking the silence. I sighed, shaking my head.

"…I don't know yet. I mean…it's definitely not what I'm used to." I admitted, and Ace laughed bitterly.

"Good. Keep it that way."

"Well, I mean…I don't think that'll happen, though." I replied quietly, as Ace stubbed his cigarette out on the asphalt.

"At least you're travelin' with D- he'll keep ya safe." Kane laughed at Ace's remark, and I turned to him.

"What?"

"Oh, why am I laughing? Cause…Dante's not…one of the more sensible people that we know…always rushing into shit, you know?" Kane reached into the cart, fishing around until he found the six-pack. He tossed a beer to Ace, who caught it mid-step, and popped one open for himself.

"Yeah, so it's weird that ya decided to break him out…no offense Kitty Katelynn, but ya seem a little bit too prim and proper to be hangin' around with D." I had to admit, Ace did have a point there- Dante and I, our personalities at least, seemed to be complete opposites.

""So why'd you end up helping Dante break out of the prison?" Kane asked, offering me the rest of his beer. I shook my head, and he laughed briefly, swigging the rest of it back in a gulp.

"Uhm…well…I mean, I just…I felt like it was right. You know? Like…he wasn't crazy…he didn't need to be down there. And the way that he was being treated…wasn't right, either."

"Ah…so kind of a mercy thing, huh?" Ace concluded, and I shook my head again, trying to figure out how to explain.

"Not quite…it was more like…I knew that keeping him down there was the wrong thing to do. When I used to talk with him before breaking him out…he wasn't crazy. And once…I figured out more and more things about why he was down there-"

"You mean those demons, right?" My ears perked up and I turned back to Kane, who was staring at me with a serious expression.

"…Y-yeah…how did you-"

"Dante let it spill to us all one night about the demons that kept following him around. And, I mean…as you know now, we've all had a little bit of experience with the weird and unusual before, but we didn't think the demons were going to be following him as much as they did. That was when Mo first bought her Ol' Reliable…we didn't want to be unprepared." Kane sighed, tilting his head back.

"…How did Dante get…you know, caught?" I asked him, and Kane and Ace both laughed.

"Why don't you tell her, Ace?" Ace shrugged and tossed his empty can into the shopping cart.

"Well, I mean, Dante…he's a pretty stubborn guy, right? So he kept getting tired of demons always being the one to pick fights with us; he decided to go out and hunt them down himself. Jesus, I still remember him sayin', "I'll kill all those motherfuckers with my own bare hands". Pretty scary shit. But, anyway, the police were apparently trailin' our group…probably because Mo had bought such a large weapon and they didn't trust us with it, or whatever. And when Dante kept comin' back covered in blood…well, I mean, they took him in for questionin' and just never let him out."

"…So they just didn't believe him about the demons?" Kane shook his head, throwing the empty can down the street, watching it tumble towards a gutter. We were now closer to home, and so the streets were nearly deserted of people.

"Nah; the whole system in Limbo is pretty fu- sorry, still used to having a pretty foul mouth- screwed up. They saw a homeless kid who claimed to see demons and…well, I mean, what do you think they'd do?"

I felt a deep chasm of guilt open in my gut; why…why hadn't they believed him? I mean, sure it seemed a little far-fetched but…or at least, why hadn't my father believed him? He had to know about demons- he had been suppressing my memories of them from a very young age. So why had he let them throw Dante into the basement? What side of my father, cold and callous and cruel, was I being exposed to?

"…I just never knew…god, I should've known." I whispered, placing my hand on the side of the shopping cart for support.

"How could you have known, Kitty Katelynn? It isn't your fault."

"…No…but it's my father's…he was the owner of the Limbo City Mental Hospital." I felt my heart sink in my chest as I admitted this, and I waited for the response and the disgust that would surely come. Ace and Kane…they would tell Mo and even Bambi, and then they would all…they'd all think I was nothing more than a stuck-up little rich girl…but maybe, by the way I had judged them earlier…maybe I was.

"Your father's Casum Greston?! Shit man." Ace hissed, and I looked over at him.

"You know…you know my father?" Ace crossed him arms against his chest, scowling.

"Yeah I know him; fact, I think everyone in the group knows your father, from one point or another." Kane nodded, and I felt my eyes widened.

"But…how-"

"Parents generally like to believe their son or daughter is fuckin' nuts if they are different from the rest." Ace spat, and I looked up at him, hoping how upset I was becoming wasn't visible on my face.

"…I'm so sorry…I…I don't know what to…I understand if you all…are mad at me, or hate me." I whispered, and I felt Kane's hand clap on my shoulder.

"I think I can speak for Ace and I both when I say this…it's like you said earlier, Kitty Katelynn…about the crosses. Someone's blood doesn't make them anymore evil or good…because it wasn't something they could control or anything like that…just because we hate your dad, doesn't mean we're gonna hate you." I looked up at him, a light pink blush staining my cheeks.

"…Really?"  
>"Of course. Right, Ace?" Ace nodded, but he remained looking down at the street.<p>

"…And you helped break Dante out, Kitty Katelynn. You're not like your father at all."

We reached our little side-street, and in the alleyway I could see two shadows being cast on the wall- most likely, Dante and Bambi.

"…I hope not."

When we appeared in the alleyway, Dante was sitting on the dumpster, Bambi sitting next to him, with her hand resting on his knee. She was wearing…well, she was wearing Dante's jacket, and I was pretty confident that was all.

"Oi, see ya got yourself re-acquainted with Bambi, didn't ya, Dante?!" Ace howled, and Kane rolled his eyes, smirking as he pushed the shopping cart against the wall.

"Oo, we didn't do much talking…" Bambi purred, resting her head on Dante's shoulder. Dante stared down at me with a smirk that I could only say looked satisfied. I blushed a bright pink, feeling my heart clench in my chest- it was a strange reaction, truly, and I turned my attention to the ground. So what did it matter if Dante was sleeping with Bambi? So? He was allowed to do whatever he wanted…maybe I was upset because…because I was worried this meant we wouldn't get to Ethor.

Dante yawned and jumping down off the dumpster, came to stand in front of me.

"So how did you enjoy your day, Kitty?" I kept my eyes downcast, not wanting him to see how hot my cheeks had become.

"It was really…really good. Ace and Kane…and Mo took really good…care of everything." My voice felt tight and I wondered if I was coming down with something.

"Ha, yeah, your Kitty Katelynn got exposed to the real-world today." A voice from down the alley called; Mo, I recognized. She walked over to me, slinging her arm around my shoulder. I brought my gaze up to meet hers, and she did a double-take.

"And how'd she do?"

"Jeez, she looks like she'd get eaten alive out there." Bambi stated, jumping down off the dumpster and slinging her arms around Dante's neck. She eyed me up-and-down, moving swiftly to kiss Dante's lips before walking over to where Kane and Ace now sat, trying to make a fire. It was…sometime around dusk, I knew, but since there were no clocks around, I couldn't really be certain of the time.

"Nah, she did pretty well; was a good girl and everything." Mo teased, and Dante laughed.

"Oh yeah? She got that look like she got into trouble." I turned to look at Dante, biting down on my lip as he laughed again. Could he not see that I was…was what?! Upset? God, I didn't know myself.

"Hey, Kitty Katelynn! Come help with dinner! Ya probably know somethin' about cookin', right?!"

Saved from any more of the conversation, I quickly rushed over to Ace, hoping that I could shake this feeling soon.

**Bridgettalladega:...*peeks out from behind fingers* So?...did you all like it? It was somewhat character development, something I've been trying really really hard to do with minor characters...and I would love it if you could review! And if you don't, well, thank you for reading anyway3**

**Best Friend: Why don't you ask them?**

**Bridgettalladega: *embarrassed* A-ask them what?**

**Best Friend: *sighs* Well...Bridget was thinking that she might do a drabble-y side-notes for this piece (for the holidays) along with another chapter, and she wanted to know if ya'll had any ideas? Or requests? Please submit them with the review (if you do decide to give one!)**


	15. Not For Long

**Bridgettalladega: Hey guys! I wanted to say thank you so much for helping me break 100 reviews! I was so ecstatic to see that! It meant so much to me that ya'll are giving me feedback on the story:'3**

**Best Friend: She wouldn't stop talking about it for days.**

**Bridgettalladega: Well...I don't know! I felt a lot of pride in it...it made me feel better about writing, in general! So thank you so much for that, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

But I couldn't. That night, when everything had settled down, I was still feeling unsettled by the idea that Bambi had slept with Dante…and I couldn't figure out why. Dante was my first true friend…or at least, the first person I trusted besides my father. So was I worried she was going to take him from me? Was that what was keeping me stuck in this gnawing feeling of sadness?

"Kitty Katelynn, what are you doing over here all by yourself?!" Mo questioned, jumping up next to me. The rest of the group was huddled around the fire; I, myself, had felt like I wanted to be alone for a few moments, and the dumpster seemed to be the best place to go and think.

"Oh! I just…was feeling kind of tired, is all." Mo yawned, nodding.

"Yeah, you've had a rough couple of days…hey, listen, Kane told me…what you all were talking about after I left." I stared up at her, perplexed for a few moments, before shaking my head.

"Oh, about…about the mental hospital…" Mo sighed, taking her gun off her leg-holster, and placing it in front of her. I stared at her as she began to dissemble the weapon; her hands moved so fast.

"I just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't feel guilty…about any of that." I nodded, watching as she took out an oil-sleeked rag, rubbing it over the pieces.

"I…know, but I do. You know? Like, I feel like I should've known…that my father was keeping Dante there…unreasonably."

"But you did."

"I mean, sooner than I did." Mo sighed, turning to me.

"…Have you talked to Dante about it?"

"…I mean, he knows who I am…but…I haven't talked to him about what I learned today." She nodded, wiping the sweat off her forehead; it was slowly cooling down now that it was almost the end of the year, but she was working hard on her weapon.

"…Kind of put-off by seeing him and Bambi, weren't you?" I shook my head, a blush hastily spreading over my face.

"No! No, no of course-"

"Look, Kitty Katelynn…Bambi and Dante…they've kind of had a thing, for a long time. Bambi can handle Dante, you know? She's…she's almost as tough as he is, and has a personality to match. They've fit together for so long because Dante hasn't wanted anything else. And…until he wants to change…he's going to keep having a thing for girls like Bambi. Do you understand?" I nodded, smiling.

"Mo, I don't…I don't like Dante like that. I was just…worried that because Bambi was around him…he wouldn't want to go with me, anymore." Mo laughed, piecing the gun back together.

"…As much as Dante and Bambi…as much as they have a thing, Dante's not one to give up a goal for a girl."

"Well that's a relief….hey Mo? Do you think I should…talk to Dante? About…what I learned?" She shrugged, holstering her gun on her leg.

"Not sure; do what you feel is right." Mo hopped off the dumpster, extending her hands to help me down.

"…I think I will…" She smiled, nodding- obviously, she had thought this was the right choice.

"Good! Hey, I don't see him near the fire….yo, ACE! Where did Dante go!?" Ace looked up, jerking his thumb down one of the side-streets that ran adjacent to ours. "Well, Kitty Katelynn…just let the words flow, alright?" I nodded, smiling at her.

"I will; thanks, Mo."

"No problem, girl." I smoothed down my shirt, pulling my jacket tighter around me. It was a brisk night…I wondered where I'd be sleeping. Did I have my own little home here? Or would I have to earn it?

I walked down the side-street for a little bit, until I finally, I saw him- facing up against the wall, and quickly I walked over to him.

"Dante, I-" I whispered, only to hear him gasp.

"Jesus Christ Kitty! What the hell!?" He cried, and my eyes widened as I stopped.

"W-what-"

"Were you just going to creep up on someone who's taking a leak?!" Mortified, I think I gasped and covered by eyes, shaking my head. Oh great, this was really how I wanted the conversation to start! How stupid could I be?! How did I not…why didn't that cross my mind?!

I heard the rustling of fabric and the sliding of a zipper, and I turned around, sure that even in this dark lighting, he'd see how beet red my face was.

"I am so sorry I just didn't think!" I apologized, and I heard a sigh, followed by a short laugh.

"That's for sure…you can open your eyes now, Kitty….I'm all…put-away." Very slowly I lowered my hand from my eyes, still feeling the hot tinge of embarrassment on my face.

"I…I…uh, I was-" Dante chuckled, walking close enough to me that I could see his face was pink, too- not so much as mine was, but around his cheeks there was the remnants of what had to have been embarrassment. Oh great, Katelynn, now how do I bring up anything serious?!

"So you creep up on me and now you have nothing to say?"

"Well, I mean, I would be able to remember better if I had just been smacked with my own stupidity!" We both laughed and finally, I felt as though I could take a deep breath.

"Well, anyway, what did you want?" I sighed, staring up at him sadly.

"I heard from Ace…why you got put in the mental hospital in the first place." Dante face froze, and tried to cover that by shrugging nonchalantly.

"Eh, yeah…now you know why I hated that place so much."

"…And I wanted to say I'm sorry." I bit down on my lip, and Dante laughed.

"For what? You didn't have any part in that, did you?"

"I still feel bad…"

"Well don't, alright? Nothing you could've done then; but you certainly helped me out later, didn't you?"

"I guess so…yeah."

"…Oh, and uhm…speaking of that?" Dante reached up and rubbed at the back of his neck; I watched him for a few moments, before he sighed.

"I never said thanks…for helping me. So…uh, shit, thank you…for that." It was my turn to laugh; I cocked my head to the side.

"I never needed a thank you…but…thank you anyways!" Dante laughed again.

"…What did Kane do when you told him that your dad owned the mental hospital?" I shrugged, breathing onto my hands. It was getting extremely cold out- before, I had been able to handle the chill, but now it had snuck up on me again.

"Kane? Oh, he just told…well, I was afraid that everyone would hate me when they found out…but Kane just said it was something I couldn't help." I rubbed my hands together, and Dante sighed, taking my hands and shoving them into his pockets. I could feel the sturdiness of his abs through the fabric, and I tried not to blush.

"Really? Damn, he was pretty cool about it, then."

"…Why…why wouldn't he be?"

"He's had really bad experiences there. Probably not as bad as the basement…but bad."

"…Like…like what?"

"…He got slammed in there when he was only 12, because his mom had killed herself and he was feeling suicidal, since his father had left a few months before and he was going to have to go to foster care." My jaw dropped, and Dante shrugged.

"…Are you serious?!"

"Yeah…they didn't really treat him there, so much as they just gave him drugs that kept him in a hallucinatory state." I shook my head, unable to look at Dante anymore.

"…I didn't…I didn't know any of this! God, how did I not-"

"Because, Kitty, you were…you were innocent. You were nothing like your father; you cared about the patients, you wanted only the best for them and refused to believe that anyone could want anything else."

"I wasn't…I wasn't that naïve, was I?"

"I remember you walked down there…wearing that yellow dress of yours, and you were so shocked to see how Joul acted; you told him off, saying you would go straight to your father. I think you were so innocent…because you wouldn't ever do anything wrong, and you couldn't believe anyone else would, either."

"I do remember that…god, wow I didn't know anything….I also remember Joul hit you. That day; I should've known then that something…wasn't right."

"Like I said, you didn't want to believe anything could be wrong with your father- he was…he was like a god to you, then." I nodded, sighing.

"...The bigger they are, the harder they fall…" I quoted, and Dante smiled down at me.

"…So it appears." I got the feeling of something shifting; I wanted to…I wanted to stay in this moment forever…I did; with Dante smiling at me, my hands in his pocket…our bodies so close…

And I yawned, clamping my hand over my mouth.

"You tired?"

"Only a little…not…" I stifled another yawn, and Dante chuckled.

"I mean…we haven't done much sleeping in the past couple of days." I nodded in agreement, and Dante smiled. "Well, come on then, I'll take you back to our wonderful little shit-house of a shack."

"Our…our shack?"

"Of course…did you think we'd be in separate ones?"

"…I thought…I thought I'd stay in your old house…and you'd be with Bambi." Dante shook his head, laughing.

"Nah…I mean, Bambi would probably knee me in the balls while I slept; spit-fire, she is….nah, I think I can trust that my junk'll be safe if we share a shack."

I felt myself blush as Dante took my hand in his again; it was strange, honestly, how much he led me around like that- and walked down the row of shacks until we reached the last one.

It was built out of cardboard and scraps of wood- no wider than a closet, no higher than my waist.

"Here we are- careful when you climb in not to hit the wall too hard or the damn thing'll fall over."

Dante followed in after me, coming to rest so close to me that I could hear his breaths as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. I shivered, and Dante scooted closer to me- whether it was actually because I was cold or because he was worried about the shack falling down, I didn't know.

And frankly, I didn't care.

"Dante?"

"Hmn?"

"…How long will we be staying here?"

"…Not much longer, Kitty. Not…much longer at all." I nodded, turning to face Dante in the dark. His eyes were closed; the first time, actually, that I had ever seen him looking calm…it was kind of soothing, in a way.

"…Goodnight." I whispered, rolling back onto my side as carefully as I could.

"Goodnight."

**Bridgettalladega: So? Did you like it...I hope so! Please review because honestly, it does mean so much to me to know that ya'll are reading and enjoying and...yeah. So thank you:3!**


	16. Now I Understand

**Bridgettalladega: Hi guys! I'm back!(:**

**Best Friend: After a hiatus... **

**Bridgettalladega: Sorry): I know its a common excuse, but school's been so hectic recently...I never knew how stressful it could be -_- But, here's this chapter! And I want to make a point to mention that this story was written before the video-game came out (So no, Kitty is not Kat, and I'm not following the video game line at all. HOWEVER I DO LOVE THE VIDEO GAME.) Anyway, please enjoy!3**

It seemed Dante had been lying- it was two weeks later, and we had both fallen into the routine set forth by this group. Every morning, we'd go out and make breakfast, and then when Mo went off to work, we'd amble around the backstreets, sometimes as a whole, but other times, just one or two people would go. We never knew actually what we were looking for until we found it- sometimes, it was simply a new place to hang out for the day, other times, it was supplies for our camp- boards for the shacks, wood for a fire, or something else entirely. And while I didn't mind staying here- the people began growing on me, and I realized how wrong I was when judging them initially- I felt as though I was terrified, all the time. Because Dante and I had seen the wanted posters, plastered on the telephone poles and on the fences; everywhere, our faces staring back at us, claiming a bounty for his head, and my safe return, as though I was a captive, a hostage and not someone who had played a crucial part in the plan to help Dante escape.

But the group had heard about the posters, too, and they were trying their hardest to keep us safe; they gave us jackets with hoods, hats, anything and everything they had to help us disguise our appearance- and since it was winter, none of this looked all that suspicious. And if any of us saw any police cars, or any officers, either Kane or Ace would guide us down another back alley, to make sure we remained unseen.

The only member of the group who hadn't been taking that much interest in keeping Dante and me hidden was Bambi- it seemed as though all she wanted to do was hang onto Dante, and scowl at me. I didn't mind it much, because most of the time her and I were kept separate, either by choice or by chance, so it wasn't like she did much of the latter. But her hands were constantly on Dante; as were her lips, and her eyes. So it surprised me one day during the "laundry wash"- really, just getting a basin of cold water and some soap and dunking the clothes in- when she came up to me, and planted her hands on her hips.

"Who cut your hair?" Bambi asked, carrying the large pile of laundry over in the shopping cart. In it, I could see bundles of tee-shirts and jeans, undergarments and socks. Since I hadn't done much this week in "helping-out" I had volunteered for wash-duty- something I knew I could do, unlike the rest of the stuff that the group could. But I never knew how much of it there'd be.

"Huh? Oh- uhm…Dante did." I muttered, and she stepped over, taking my face in her hands, shaking her head. I flinched under her touch, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Oh Jesus- what made you think that he knew what he was doing? Do you see how he looks; filthy, all the time!" I felt my face tinge, and Bambi sighed, shaking her head, dropping her hands to her side.

"Look, I'm only gonna help you because I don't want Dante to get caught; and if someone sees that your lopsided and molting, they're going to think something suspicious is up." I touched my hair- I hadn't noticed that the dye was running out…at least, not that much. I knew that some areas were a bit lighter than others, and that maybe the left side of my hair was longer than the right…but was it that noticeable?

I guessed so, because Bambi, who had paid attention to no-one else but Dante, had noticed. She began to lead me over to her shack, where from inside, she pulled out a basket- it had scissors and hair-dye, all neatly arranged. When she saw me looking at her strangely, she shrugged and told me, "We don't have the money to go to any sort of beauty-shop, so I just take care of them."

She sat me down by the washbin, and turned the hose on my head- I shivered, yelping as she tapped her foot.

"Look, this isn't a spa or anything like that- now hold still." I grimaced as I felt her fingers running through my hair, scrubbing at my scalp that I knew had to be disgusting.

"So…where did you learn to do hair?" I asked through my chattering teeth. Bambi paused, her hands stopping for a moment. She probably didn't expect me to talk to her- maybe she had noticed that we were avoiding each other? But either way, I really did want to try and talk to her- maybe it was a misunderstanding that she and I hadn't gotten along. I really wanted to believe that- she was so important to Dante, after all, that she couldn't be that bad of a person.

"My mother."

"Oh, was she a hair stylist?"

Bambi was really quiet for a while, yanking at my hair and spraying my roots with the hose, until she sighed.

"No…she was…" Her voice trailed off, and suddenly, it clicked. I don't know how and I don't why, but it was the tone that she used that let me know that it wasn't a job that most, if any, desired to be having.

"Oh, I…uhm-"

"When my father left us…my mother did what she had to, to support us. No one understands that; we were living on minimum income, because my mom gave up her dreams so her husband, that scum, could do whatever the fuck he wanted….which was wasting his life mostly in bars and with cheap-bitches." I nodded, feeling her hands run through my hair, slicking through the dye now.

"And everyone looked down on her; look at that whore, they used to say…look at her, that slut, that skank…god, I toughened up real fast to deal with those assholes. No one could understand; no one saw that she was just trying to support herself and her daughter…no one fucking cared." Her fingers gripped at my roots as though she was yanking these horrible thoughts from her body, and I winced, trying to remain quiet.

"…She got sick, soon after I turned 14. Real sick…we didn't have any health insurance, nothing like that…so I just watched her work herself to death, withering away every day….I used to tell her, ma, take a break…used to fucking beg her to sit down. But she would tell me, baby, I won't rest until I know you're going to be okay."

I clasped my hands in my lap as Bambi sat across from me, pulling a cigarette out of her pocket, lighting it with her hot-pink lighter.

"…She died when I was 15; it was terrible. I was so angry…I called the ambulance when I noticed she was having trouble breathing, and when they saw that we weren't hoity-toity rich bastards, they shrugged it off. They didn't even take her to the hospital; they let her suffocate to death…motherfuckers, I will never fucking forgive them for that." Bambi hissed, taking a deep drag on her cigarette.

"One of the last things she asked me, one of the final things, was if I was ashamed to have her as a mother. Do you know how the fuck that feels? To have your dying mother, looking at you with tears in her eyes, asking if I was proud to be her daughter? Jesus." Bambi stared at me, her usually cold, cruel blue eyes looking tired…absolutely exhausted, but still searching for understanding in my face.

And sadly, I didn't think with my slightly open jaw, I was showing her the emotion she was looking for.

"I don't know why the fuck I told you that." She rolled her eyes, and I shook my head.

"No…my mother…she passed away too." Bambi's eyes snapped to mine again, and I felt a hot blush stain my cheeks; I couldn't believe I had just brought that up. As though her and my experiences were relatable- when they weren't, not in the least. Hers were so personal, so touching- when I had barely even known my mother, much less had the memories of her that Bambi had.

"Yeah? What was she like?" I sighed, clasping my hands together.

"Her name was Delilah…honestly, I don't remember much about her. She died when I was four…and my dad never brought her up much."

"What happened to her?"

"…I used to think she died because she was sick, but now…I think she died in a demon attack." I shared, unsure if I should be saying that.

"Why do you think that?"

"…It's a long story…I just…I just recently got my childhood memories back. It turns out my dad…Casum Greston, was giving me medication to suppress those thoughts, because he didn't want me to remember about the demons. But once Dante convinced me to stop taking them…I got a memory back of blood…and a gun firing…and a demon, a horrible looking one."

"Damn; that's weird. Normally, demons don't go into a home and attack for no reason." I shrugged, and Bambi's eyes narrowed, looking at me closely."…Hey, Kitty Katelynn, why do you think in your memory you heard someone shooting? Do you think…maybe your mom was a demon-hunter or something like that?" My eyebrows shot up, and I shook my head.

"No way; I don't think so." Bambi shrugged, stubbing out the butt of her cigarette on the pavement.

"Well, whatever…just a suggestion." She walked over to me, grabbing the hose. I shuddered as a cold spray hit my hair. "We're done now…I have to say it looks a lot better." She smiled, proud of her work.

"Bambi?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for telling me…about your mother." She crossed her arms against her chest as she walked away, shaking her head.

"It's nothing."

But it was; of course it was. How could I view Bambi in the same light that I did before? I couldn't- it was impossible not see her backstory, written all over her face and her expressions and her demeanor. And knowing what I did about her now, made me realize that she was more perfect for Dante then I could've ever known; they were able to relate to each other on more physical level.

I told Dante this when we were walking one day, and he had laughed.

"Kitty, Bambi and I…honestly, we don't do much talking about stuff like that."

"But you two…you're-"

"Look, I care about Bambi, don't get me wrong…but it's not like how you think it is." He shrugged, and I sighed, shaking my head.

"You are truly impossible, you know?" Dante grinned at me, slinging his arm over my shoulder.

"I do know that, and I think it adds to the charm- don't you?"

I didn't have time to answer him, actually. Because at that moment, I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

Dante!" I screamed, as the two creatures with long, sharp claws inched in closer, their eyes dripping with bloodlust. Their glares rooted me to the spot, and I felt as though my legs couldn't move.

"Kitty!" He cried, and I could only watch as the same creatures threw him against the wall, his head snapping back and cracking against the bricks with a sickening thud. I winced, practically cowering. What was I supposed to do!? I didn't know anything about demon slaying- why hadn't I paid more attention when-

Suddenly, as though a switch had been flicked, Dante pushed himself off the wall, wiping the blood off his lips.

"Sick fuckers…"

"Son of Sparda-"

"My name is Dante." He flung himself forward, grabbing the lid of a trashcan as he did so, hurling it into the face of the first creature. The beast gave an inhumane screech, so loud and so high pitched that I had to plug my ears. I was surprised to see that Dante did not…

Dante jumped up on top of the dumpster so that he was at height of the first creature's stomach, as he jumped forward, propelling himself off the dumpster into the creature's side. I heard the sickly cracking of ribs, as Dante landed on the ground, panting as he stared up at his opponent.

"You gonna help me Kitty, or just stand there?!"

"Wh-what am I supposed to do!?" I couldn't help but notice my voice quivering as I hollered, worried that the beasts' attention would swivel to me, instead of Dante.

"KILL THEM!?" Dante took the lid of the trashcan in his hand, and flung it into the second beast's face, giving him mere moments to slid under the first creature's legs and take the knife out of his pocket and jam it into his target's leg.

"DANTE! HERE, CATCH!" I hollered from my viewing place, throwing the gun at his feet. He swooped down to grab it as the first creature swiped his claws in a line down Dante's back. Dante howled, cocking the trigger and firing upwards, as the first demon cried and scraped at its' bleeding face. Its eyes were bleeding, and I was certain it couldn't see anymore.

Dante fired another round, this time hitting the same creature in the chest; the first creature fell to the ground, withering, as Dante avoided the grasp of the second one. Dante climbed onto the fallen creature's chest, stabbing the creature into the center of the chest, blood spurting everywhere.

The second demon was quickly approaching behind Dante, who didn't seem to notice. I felt frozen in fear, and I did the only thing I could think of.

"Dante! Look out-" Dante was picked up and propelled against the wall, and I watched as Dante's head snapped back against the wall, and he slumped to the ground. I screamed as the creature turned its attention towards me.

The creature began running towards me, and I ducked behind the dumpster, cowering against the wall. Shit, shit, shit! What was I going to do!?

The creature's hand was closing in around me, and I bolted to where Dante lay. Oh god, I didn't know anything about using a gun…so the knife?! I would be stuck using only a knife against this thing?!

"Dante! Please wake-"

The creature's hand tightened around my waist, and I screamed in surprise. I was being lifted into the air! I plunged the knife into the flesh between its claws and its hand, and it let out a horrible squeal, dropping me to the ground.

I hit the ground with a thud, scrambling quickly towards the legs of the creature. I plunged the knife into the foot, and the creature reached down, swiping at me and throwing me against the wall.

I closed my eyes, burying my face in my hands. So this was it- this was just great! I tried to help Dante out and all I did was throw us into danger-

Suddenly, I heard the sound of rounds being fired, and I looked up in amazement.

"Why don't you try picking on someone your own size, bastard?" Dante spit as he staggered towards the creature. I broke out into a wide smile, watching as Dante fired directly into the center of the creature's forehead, a kill-shot.

The creature fell to the ground next to its comrade with a thud, as Dante glared at it before falling to the ground.

"Dante?! Dante!?" I cried, running over to him. I crouched down next to him, wiping the blood off of his face.

"I'm fine, Kitty. I like the…concern, though." Dante propped himself up against the blood-spattered dumpster. He spit, shaking his head and staring up at the sky.

"Shit…what the hell-?!" I questioned, running my hands through my hair.

"Demons…I can't believe they fucking found us again." I bowed my head, as he sighed, pushing himself off the ground. "We have to get going; if they're already on our trail, our best bet is to keep moving, get away." He muttered, as I looked up.

I gasped as I did so, my hand coming up to cover my mouth.

"Dante, your back!"

Claw marks, deep flesh-wounds, stains of red running rivers over the torn shirt. Dante reached back, his fingers touching one of the openings. He winced slightly, shaking his head.

"Fuck…that's going to be a problem." I reached towards him, trying to pull him into a sitting position.

"We need to get you…"

"Kitty… just give it a few minutes..." He muttered, as the blood continued to run down his back; but I watched. I watched and I wondered if he was like Mo; if he, too, was part of something not entirely human-

Then my eyes widened as the flesh began to mend itself, slowly piecing itself together like bits of cloth.

"That's not…"

"So now you know. Now come on." He extended his hand, and I took it, pulling myself to a standing position.

"…But…how much…what…"

"Let's just leave it at the fact that I am not completely human." He muttered, and I took a sharp inhale. So Dante…was he a demon, too? Or was he part angel? No, no- definitely part demon because I couldn't see him being angelic at all. That'd have to be the only reasonable explanation. Wait, was there even a reasonable in a situation like this?!

"What are we going to tell the rest?" I murmured. Dante sighed, running his hands through his hair as we walked over to the chain-link fence at the end of the alleyway. I noticed our hands were still clasped tightly, and I found myself not minding- he was the only thing keeping me steady, after all.

"I think they'll figure it out."

**Bridgettalladega: So did you like it? Honestly guys, it really means so much to me that ya'll even take the time to read my story. I don't even know if you can imagine how much that makes me smile to think that people are reading what I've written- and maybe even enjoying it at the same time! I hope you guys continue, because most of the time, seeing reviews or reader stats going up is the highlight of my week. Anyway, I love ya'll!3 Please review if you'd like(: **


	17. Leaving is Always Hard

**Bridgettalladega: Hey! Sorry that I haven't updated recently guys D: I've been busy playing DMC and also, getting ready to finish up school! So, I'm sorry for not updating...but hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter!**

"Damn, am I glad that I gave you Ol' Reliable today…I can't imagine what would've happened if-" Mo trailed off after we had explained what happened to us. Bambi was examining Dante's back; there were still faint lines there, but I was amazed that they had closed up as well as they did. Ace and Kane were sitting side-by-side on the lid of the dumpster; Dante had wanted to gather everybody together to tell them what had happened when we were out- though my shocked expression and his bloody clothes told all that was needed to know.

I was still wrapped up in my thoughts- why did that demon know who Dante was? Why did the demon call him the son of…son of Sparda? Who was Sparda? Was Dante part demon? Part angel? Both? My head felt like it was racing a million miles per hour and all I wanted to do was go over and ask Dante for the real story- the one I had never gotten from him in the mental hospital, the one I still hadn't gotten from him now.

"You both would've been torn to pieces." Bambi muttered, slowly drawing me out of my thoughts and Dante laughed, shaking his head.

"I could've taken care of that demon in no time- right, Kitty?" I opened my mouth to reply; something, I don't know, it was insignificant, when Mo spoke up.

"I guess this means you'll be leaving soon…that's why you called us together, wasn't it?" I turned to Dante, my expression as shocked as his was sure.

"Yeah; you're right." Dante didn't even argue with Mo- simply agreed. He hadn't even told me that he was thinking of leaving- in fact, I had thought he'd want to stay. More protection in numbers, of course, and since we had done such a good job being kept hidden…

"When?" Bambi asked, and Dante shrugged.

"As soon as we can; tonight would be best." Tonight?! I glanced around; everybody looked so somber, as though this decision was final- as though they knew, all along, that as soon as a demon attack happened again, Dante would want to leave.

"Tonight…are we ready to leave tonight?" I questioned, and Dante nodded.

"It would be the best thing." Dante replied, standing up and stretching. He laid Mo's gun down at her feet, walking over to me and extending his hands. "Are you ready to leave?"

I thought about it for a moment; what he was really asking me- it was, "do you want to leave with me?" not so much if I was ready or not. He wanted to know whether I wanted to stay here; with this group of friends I had made and learned to care about, or whether I wanted to go with him, to something unknown in Ethor; because that was where he needed to be.

"…Yes." I took his hands and he pulled me to my feet; our faces were inches from each other, and I would like to say I saw gratitude in his eyes, but I wasn't sure because I quickly turned away.

"We'll get some stuff that you can take with you…who knows how long it'll be before you two can get supplies." Mo muttered as she walked away, Kane in tow behind her. Only Bambi and Ace were left sitting, with much the same expressions on their faces.

"Dude…ya know ya don't have to leave." Ace suggested, standing up. Dante shook his head, sighing.

"No, we do…wanted to leave before another fucking attack, actually-"

"What, ya don't think we could handle it? With Mo being here, we get it-"

"Sorry bro…I don't want to drag anybody else into this." Dante motioned around him, and Ace sighed.

"Well, it was good seein' ya again." Ace offered, before walking back to where his hut was. I looked at Dante, puzzled, but he was staring at Bambi, who was looking up at Dante with tears in her eyes; it was strange, to think that I had only ever seen her show this side of her twice.

"Awh, come on now Bambi…" Dante crouched to the ground, and Bambi wiped at her eyes.

"I thought you were going to stay; I thought this time, you were really going to stay." Dante shook his head, taking Bambi's hands in his own.

"You know why I can't." He murmured, and Bambi shook her head.

"No, I don't. But I know that you're always going to leave." She hissed, standing up and walking away. Dante sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"…Do you actually want…to leave?" I asked him, and he just stared at me.

"Do you think I…do you think I really want to put them in even more danger?" I opened my mouth to say something, but I found it better, once again, to keep quiet.

So it was decided that Kane, who was the only one in the group actually able to drive a car, would take us out of here, to the Limbo City train station, and Dante and I would climb in one of the back cars to take the last train out of here. Mo had been able to gather up some clothes for Dante and I, and some food, and they were waiting for us in the hub of Kane's old truck. The only thing left to do, it seemed, was say goodbye.

But I never pictured saying goodbye to be so hard; it had only been a little over two weeks, and yet it felt like a family. It felt more like home than my old home ever had; I trusted this group in a way that I hadn't known trust to work before- a give and take, not just because I relied on them, but because in a way, I hoped that they had relied me, too. And now, it was time to depart, and I felt a lump in my throat that I never expected to have.

The first to start saying goodbye was Bambi; it was a while after dark, and she walked up to Dante, staring at him intently.

"Dante…before you go…you're a jackass, you know? But I really…really care about you, so don't go getting yourself into any shit now, you hear me?" Bambi clenched her hands into tight fists, and Dante captured her mouth with a kiss that was so tender, so sweet, I had to look away.

"I can't make any promises." He smiled at her, and she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Then, after a while, she turned towards me. "You're so naïve, Kitty Katelynn...always have been, always will be...but don't lose that; there's too much shit in the world already." I was about to ask her what she meant when Mo came running towards me and Dante, holding out her gun.

"Look you two, I want you to be safe, alright? And the only way I can make sure you are is if I give ya my Ol' Reliable…take good care of her, okay?" Dante shook his head and I opened my mouth to refuse, but Mo stopped both of us by holding out her hand.

"You two are going to be inna lot more danger than our little group here'll be." Dante reached down and hugged Mo tightly against him, looking as though he were crushing her with his arms.

"Thank you, Mo. I'm really gonna miss ya, you know?" Mo pulled back and wiped at her eyes, planting her hands firmly on her hips.

"Awh, look what you're making me do! Cryin' like this…you take good care of Dante, you hear? And Dante, you better watch out to make sure that Kitty Katelynn is safe, alright?!" Mo's eyes were shining with tears, and I reached out, hugging her, maybe not as tightly as Dante had, but in the way that a family member might hug another before she left.

"I'm gonna miss you, Mo…please keep everyone here safe, okay?" I whispered, voice faltering, and she patted me on the back.

"I will; don't worry about us." She gave one final wave, before turning around, following towards where Bambi had gone.

I looked at Dante to see that his eyes were looking damp, and I wanted to believe it was not just the light playing tricks on my eyes; I wanted to believe in that moment that saying goodbye was as hard for him as it was for me. Quickly, I looked away to give him his privacy, and instead, I directed my attention towards the little hut that I had come to know as Ace's.

"…Is Ace not coming with Kane and us?" Dante shook his head, sighing.

"Nah, he's…not really one for goodbyes." So that explained it; earlier this afternoon, when Ace had said goodbye to Dante and I; it explained the awkwardness that hung in the air, dangling there and making everything feel out of place.

Dante looped his arm around my waist, and I rested my head against his shoulder.

"…I'm sorry." I whispered, and Dante looked down at me.

"For what?"

"…For thinking all these people were…were so terrible when I first met them." I blinked back tears of my own, and Dante shrugged.

"I know they can seem like a rough bunch…but they're good people, just the same." I nodded, and Dante and I began walking down the long alley way. We had almost gotten to where Kane was waiting with the beat-up old cruiser, before we heard a noise behind us.

"OY! MAN! Wait up!" Dante's face almost instantly lit up and he turned around.

"The fuck you doin', Ace?!" Ace jogged towards us, clapping his hands on both our shoulders.

"Ya think I could just let two members of the group leave without seein' them off?! Ya take me for a pussy or somethin'!?

I felt myself break into a grin as Ace looped his arms around me and Dante, shaking his head.

"Ya give me a lot less credit than I deserve, Dante and Kitty Katelynn." He huffed as he opened the backdoor and we piled in the truck. I watched the campsite fade from behind us for a little bit; until I decided it was too painful to torture myself like that anymore.

When we got to the train station, it was late- as planned, it was around midnight- and there were seldom few people scattered about. The place looked eerie in the dark- with its dim lighting, seemingly glowing against the dark backdrop of the sky.

"Well…this is it. As far as we can take ya." Dante nodded at Ace's comment, looking out the window.

"Pretty shitty here, huh?" Dante remarked, and Ace nodded, his face looking rather tight. Dante grinned when at him when he noticed, thumping him on the back. "Come on now, don't be a whimp-" but Ace had already pulled Dante into a man-hug- a bro-hug, I learned it was called- and Dante hugged him back.

It suddenly began to feel permanent, everything that had been done in the last month- looking around the hub of the truck, I wondered whether this was the last time I'd ever see Kane or Ace- or maybe it was even the last time I'd see Limbo City; the place where I grew up, the place I had come to know as my only home. The thought of this leaving, this permanence, struck me with a deeper feeling of dread I didn't know I could possess.

"Your train is gonna be leaving soon." Kane muttered, and Dante nodded, this time looking less sure of himself. Was it possible he was feeling the same way I did? I glanced over at him, but he didn't meet my eyes.

"Yeah, I know." Dante climbed over me, hopping out of the truck and extending his hand out, which I took gratefully.

"Bye Kane…bye Ace." I whispered, as Ace jumped out of the truck, pulling me into his arms.

"Ya be careful, Kitty Katelynn. I don't wanna hear ya got yourself into trouble, alright?" I nodded, closing my eyes against tears. Damn, I really never thought it would be this hard to say goodbye.

"Yo, Ace…you know what I'm going to tell you, right?" Dante asked, and I turned around, bewildered.

"…Shit, Dante, not this again-"

"Andy's your brother, Ace, and the only family you got-"

"I'm not going to be talking to him again, Dante."

"All I'm saying is you should think about it before you lose your mother and brother for good." Dante shrugged, and I pulled myself out of Ace's arms, walking over to the driver-side window. Kane smiled at me, leaning out so that our faces were inches from each other's.

"The same goes for me- you stay close to Dante, you hear me, Kitty Katelynn?" I nodded, leaning over and gently kissing Kane's cheek- an impulse that had overtaken me.

"You take care of yourself, too." He smiled languidly at me, causing me to smile back.

I walked back over to Dante, who once again looped his arm around my waist.

"You ready?" He whispered into my ear; I found myself leaning against him for support as I nodded.

"I guess so."

**Bridgettalladega: So, what did you think?! Please review; they all mean so much to me:"3 Thank you once again for reading!(: **


	18. Where are we?

**Bridgettalladega: Hey guys! I'm sorry I left you all for so long- there was just so much going on.**

**Best Friend: Mmmm hmmm...**

**Bridgettalladega: No, seriously! With school and life...also I hadn't been feeling so great recently, about anything, and I felt too...mismatched to write. But I'm back! A little shy, but I wanted to thank everyone for their reviews while I was gone(: So I hope you enjoy3 **

As we walked through the train station, hidden underneath our hoods and hats, I was glad that Dante was near me. I could feel people's eyes, watching us, staring at us, waiting to utter that scream that would give us away- but Dante seemed so calm, as though nothing could faze him. That was, nothing could faze him until we got to the wanted poster. We had seen them all around town, of course, and Dante had never really paid any mind to them- until now.

He reached up when he saw our faces glancing back at us, and ripped the poster off the pillar, shoving it into his pocket.

"Dante, what-"I hissed.

"Excuse me, what is it that you're doing?" I turned around, my eyes wide with fright as a man approached us. The man looked no older than 50- slightly black and gray hair, with dark blue eyes; he was wearing a suspicious look and a tight frown.

"Keeping this- gotta make sure our streets stay safe."

"Wait, hold on a second-"

"Come on Molly, let's go." Dante reached down and took my hand, cutting the man's sentence off; we kept walking along the platform until the man was out of sight.

"Why did you take that poster?!" I glared, and Dante's grip tightened on my hand.

"Because I'm tired of looking at it. It isn't my best angle, anyway." I rolled my eyes as we continued walking, farther and farther down the length of the train. Sometimes I hated his impulsiveness- sometimes I wonder whether that would be what did us in, in the end.

"Molly?" I questioned after a while, and Dante grinned.

"Mo's real name. Only thing I could think of."

We walked along the train tracks until we got to the last car, and already the train's whistle had blown, signaling that it was starting to move down the tracks. Looking around to make sure no one noticed, Dante pushed open the door and jumped up inside, once again extending his hands to make sure I could get in. Closing the door behind us, Dante stretched as he sat down against some crates that had been stacked in the cart. They were long and packed loosely together against the side of the cart- the way they rumbled when the car began moving down the track worried me, as I watched their shaky foundation tremble.

"How do we know that isn't going to fall down and crush us?" I asked warily, and Dante shrugged.

"I don't know; come sit next to me, I'll keep you safe." He teased, and even though I scoffed, I did exactly as he asked. I scooted into his arms, and he pulled me so close against him, I could feel every muscle, every outline of his body.

"So, what do you think you'll do after this?" I questioned, laying back in his arms as the train plugged down the track.

"After what?" I stared out at the scenery rolling by, instead of at Dante, whose gaze I suddenly couldn't face.

"After, you know, we get to Ethor…and then, after we split up." My stomach did an odd flip at the thought, and I thought that I could taste bile in my throat. The plan, which had for the longest time seemed so far in the distance, was now only 100s of miles ahead of us- so close that I could feel it looming over us. So close that I had begun to wonder what would happen after- that had been the plan, all along. Get Dante out of the Limbo City Mental Hospital, and get him to Ethor.

He had only ever brought up that place briefly; in passing mention or in a roundabout way, but I knew that was where we had to head. He never explained why, only that Ethor was where he needed to be; maybe it was that in a big city, it'd be hard to find one single person. Maybe it was because that was where had lived, long ago when his family was still alive.

Dante laughed, stretching out and placing his hands around my middle. I felt my heart skip a beat, thudding in my chest, and I cleared my throat.

"Oh, after this. Well, I'm definitely going to get away from all this demon shit. Change my name, fake ID, everything. I think I'm going to go by…Tony Redgrave. I think that's a badass name…"

"And then?" I whispered, as he shrugged.

"And then….then, the best part. I'll just relax. Do whatever the hell I want, whenever the hell I want." I heard the smile in his voice, as though the idea of freedom, the idea of independence, was the most important, precious thing that he could ever want.

"I…I really hope it all works out that way." Dante chuckled bitterly, shaking his head.

"What about you, Kitty?"

Me? I hadn't really thought about life after I had split up from Dante. It was the first time that it occurred to me that soon, I'd probably never see the boy lying next to me again. I had just been living from meal to meal; there had been no future looming…but now? How could I ever handle being alone?

"I think…I think I have to go back and…and maybe apologize to my dad. For, you know, running away… I don't think he'll ever forgive me though." The words popped out of my mouth before I had even really thought it through, and I bit my lip, the feeling of loneliness threatening me; the feeling of guilt consuming me.

"That guy? What the hell, Katelynn?!" Dante's face contorted into a tight scowl, and I sighed.

"Even if…he doesn't deserve one, I don't know if I can live without him…I need him, I think…I need someone…" I muttered, chewing on my thumb. Dante glowered, shaking his head.

"You need him, huh? After all he's done for you- keeping you trapped inside a mental hospital, giving you memory-suppressants….yeah, he's done a shitload for you." He let go of me with his arms, coming around and standing, staring directly at me.

"…He raised me! He…he-"

"Made my life a living hell, and kept you trapped! Is that what you want to go back to!? Being trapped again!? Because I didn't think you liked that so much Katelynn!"

"Dante! What am I supposed to do!? I've always had someone there, now it's you but before it was my dad! What am I supposed to do once you leave?! I have to apologize to him, Dante, so that I'm not alone because I don't know if I could handle that!" I cried, as Dante opened his mouth, possibly to retort. Quickly, he snapped his jaw shut, running his hand through his hair.

I knew that I had probably really offended him, but…but I didn't think those words would come out of my mouth. I didn't expect to tell him how afraid I was of being by myself once he left….I didn't want him to leave, either. My first…flesh-and-blood friend, someone I saw, who wasn't blocked by the computer screen. The first person, other than my father, who I trusted with my life. And to think of that leaving left me too empty for words…was that how Dante felt? With his family gone; his friends gone? Those years of living on his own…did he feel empty? As though he was floating, because no one was anchoring him?

I looked up at him with tears in my eyes, only to find him to be studying me, a smirk playing on his lips.

"So you're afraid of losing me, huh?" I blushed, looking away, crossing my arms against my chest in the dark. "Kitty…we don't have to split up right away, you know." I nodded.

"…I don't want to be holding you back though…I can't fight, I can barely navigate the streets myself…" He sat down once again next to me, shaking his head.

"You're not bad company to keep ….and until you're ready, you don't have to leave. You can decide what you want to do…and we're not going to be strangers, idiot. You can live your own life without your father, and I can keep in contact with you. That wouldn't be the last time you saw my handsome face, babe, so you wouldn't need to worry…." I laughed, giving him a playful shove.

"Thanks…" I murmured, and he wrapped me in his arms again; those arms where I felt safe, and for a moment, maybe the loneliness and the fear didn't seem quite so large. Maybe, I thought as my eyelids began to flutter shut, just maybe it would be okay.

"No problem, Kitty. Now try and sleep. This'll be a while."

And I did sleep; and when I woke up, it felt like it had been hours; who could tell, with the sky so dark out and no clock to keep track of the time? All I knew is that when I awoke, Dante was already up- and he was tense against me, clapping his hand over my mouth. That was when the sickening feeling began to overtake me- something was wrong, very wrong. And after that, the next thing I realized was that the train had stopped.

"Keep quiet." Dante commanded, my eyes went wide with fright. Around us, there were the sounds of car-doors being opened; voices, loud, calling out clear or not clear. "They must be doing a check…shit, we need to get out." Dante hissed, and I shook my head.

"That guy at the station probably alerted them…Dante, where are we?!" I felt my voice began to shake, and Dante shook his head.

"We're only an hour away from Limbo…" He murmured as the voices got closer, ever closer to our car. We were trapped; I wondered how we would ever get out of here. Because we could not fight these people; they were humans, after all…not demons, scum but not ones that Dante could destroy.

"We have to get out of here." I felt the panic rise in my voice- Dante shushed me again, and stood up, looking around.

"Here's what we're going to do." He began pushing aside the tower of crates that was stacked up against the wall; quietly he made a space just over my head, small enough for two people to barely fit into.

But I was deathly afraid of small spaces- claustrophobia that I had since I was a small child. I looked at Dante with a frightened expression, but he just shook his head, hoisting me up after he had thrown our bags inside.

"Can't I go in last?" I whispered, and he shook his head.

"I want to be closer to the front, in case." He replied, and I paused, staring back at him. In case? Well…he was the only one who knew how to fire a gun. I felt like throwing up as I was pushed into the small space; and when Dante climbed in after me, pushing the crate in front of him once again, I felt as though I couldn't breathe, that there wasn't enough oxygen. The crates could come tumbling down at any minute, crushing Dante and I- or we'd be found by the officers checking the carts; what would happen then?

"Dante-" I wheezed, my body shaking so much that I was worried I'd be the tremor that caused the crates to fall. "Dante, I-"

"Keep quiet; you're okay, Kitty. You're fine." He reached down, staring intently into my eyes, and took my hand. I tightened my grip so much that I wondered whether his fingers would break; but his eyes, calm, secure, and steady continued staring at me just the same.

Our bodies were once again so close that I could feel every inch of him; from his chest to his legs, to his warm breath on my face. So I closed my eyes and tried to pretend that instead of being stuck here, that we were back at the camp in Limbo, in our hut, going to sleep for the night.

When the door opened, I was yanked roughly out of my day-dream and frightened, I looked at Dante. But he didn't seem afraid; not at all. In fact, I watched as his fingers slowly inched towards the knife that he had been keeping on him; his hand rested comfortably on the handle, poised and ready.

I thought about what would happen if they found out; my heart beating noisily in my chest, my pulse racing- would Dante be killed? Would I be sent back to my father- a thought I had early but now seemed so unpleasant, so horrible I wondered why I had even considered it? Would they bring Dante in for questioning? Add years to his sentence?

I shut my eyes tightly, and at once had a vivid memory of hiding when I was small. I had hidden under the bed and when I had peered out from underneath the ruffle, I had seen my mother's feet. Her nails had been painted a bright pink- she had ducked down, smiling when she saw me and I had squealed with delight as I tried to run…that memory, it had been ages ago…long before Dante and long before all of this. And how I wished I was hiding for fun now; instead of hiding because lives depended on it.

"This cart's all clear!" I heard a voice from next to the crates call. My eyes flooded with tears of relief; staring at Dante, he still remained so poised, as though he wasn't ready to let down his guard yet. It was only when the door closed that he sighed, pushing back the crates and jumping down; as custom now, he held out his arms for me to jump into, noiselessly, so that nothing would seem suspicious.

"We have to go."

"Go!? What- but we-"

"They're going to keep checking- it's only going to get worse from here on out."

"But how?!" I whispered, and Dante looked to the door on the side of the train.

"We jump. It's the only way out." He muttered, and I took a deep breath, clenching my hands into tight fists. If I could hide and survive, then who was to say I could not jump and do the same?

"…I trust you." Dante paused for a moment, before nodding, and pushing the sliding door open with a loud squeak.

"Come on- it's best to go before the train picks up speed."

He flung open the door and the light from the stars flooded the car. The only lights were small pinpricks in the distance- it was all so overwhelmingly beautiful that the combination of fear and awe stole my breath.

"Where are we, Dante?"

"…I know exactly where we are." His frown was tight as his hand tightly grasped mine, and the look on his face told me that there were things here, things in the place that I could only ever hope to understand.

"...I trust you." He nodded again, and I held my breath as him and I jumped off the cart, rolling down the grass in the darkness.

**Bridgettalladega: *nervously* So...what did you think? I hope that you enjoyed it; I really do love writing this story and I hope that people out there enjoy reading it just as much. Please review and thank you once again! ^.^ **


	19. Safety

**Bridgettalladega: Hey guys! I hope you don't mind that this chapter's a little longer(: I really like this one and *smiles widely***

**Best Friend: What. Why are you smiling like that.**

**Bridgettalladega: I CAN'T TELL YOU IT WOULD RUIN IT FOR THEM! Anyways, here's the next chapter! Please enjoy! ^.^ **

We hit the ground with a thud, and I stayed there, my breath catching in my throat as I did. Had they seen us, two figures rolling off the train into the night? It had seemed like there was no one around- but yet, that creeping feeling of being watched was crawling up my spine. I looked over at Dante, who was slowly standing, brushing the grass off of him, and wondered why he had looked so…sad, when he had told me he knew our location. Wasn't that a happy thing, a pleasant thing?

I waited until the train was just a spot of black moving in the distance before standing; Dante sighed, running his hands through his hair as he looked around.

"So…you said you knew-"

"Come on Kitty; just follow me."

And so I did. We didn't say a word to each other as we travelled closer to those lights in the distance- lights that I quickly found out, were streetlamps in a town square. I held my breath- this community was so tiny, so out of place in the middle of nowhere, it seemed as though it had been carved out, or maybe even grown, from nature itself.

"Dante-"

He reached out and took my hand again, effectively cutting off my words. We travelled through the town, with the small storefront windows and the mannequins seeming to peer at us in the darkness. And yet, the overall feeling was one of peace- a wave of tranquility washed over me, almost as though I was returning to a place that was well-loved, once known- a home of a relative, perhaps, or even an old hangout.

Dante, however, seemed to be completely on edge. Glancing around everywhere, his brow remained constantly furrowed- he seemed jumpier now than times when danger had been all around us. And I wondered why- I wondered why this quiet town made him uncomfortable when the city street made him feel like a king, and I wondered why his grip was so tight on my hand when he was so closed off with his words.

We reached the edge of the town quickly, and in front of us sprawled a hill, thickly covered with forests. The trees were so dense, I could barely see beyond them- but Dante pulled me forward and we walked through the path that had been cut in the underbrush.

"Can you please tell me where we are?" I whispered, and Dante shook his head; his skin was pale in the distance light from the town, and I questioned if I, too, should be nervous. Maybe I had misjudged this sleepy, peaceful town. Maybe I should've been more afraid- things were not always as they seemed as I was finding and maybe it applied here, as well.

As soon as the thicket of forest cleared, we came to a larger dirt road, winding and twisting itself further up the hill. Dante pulled me along, but I noticed that as we neared the top, he was slower in his movement- and that frightened me, because for once, confident, cocky Dante was unsure and unsteady. And so, I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and it was me who lead us to almost the top of the hill, where the slope was steep enough that it overcame the trees, and the view stretched out for miles.

And as I looked around, I saw nothing but a house- nothing more frightening then a small, two-story house, painted white with a wraparound porch and dark blue shutters secured to the windows. Nothing to be afraid of but the black jalopy reflecting the stars parked by the well and the clothesline.

"Dante, what-" He shook his head, shoving his hand into his pockets. He sighed and as he stared up at the windows, I tried to see what he was seeing, what was making him so nervous. But I saw nothing except the quiet little house with the wooden rocking chairs and the welcome mat and the rosebushes.

He took a deep breath as he walked up to the house, and even though it had to be a little over 2am, give or take an hour, he pressed the doorbell forcefully. I jumped back, wanting to perhaps reprimand him for breaking the calm- until a light flicked on in the upstairs window and I felt myself shrink to half my size.

The door lock snapped and I found myself pressing myself closer to Dante, nerves suddenly filling what once was a serenity- and I feared the worst as the door was flung open, because if Dante had looked so petrified, how could I ever expect to handle what was waiting inside?

"It's three in the morning- whatever you're selling, we are not interested."

My eyes widened as a woman, short, stout, with curly white hair and deep brown eyes, covered in a lilac bathrobe looked up at us, fumbling to adjust her glasses on her face. She stared at us softly, her stance trying to make her seem threatening, but she came up only to about shoulder height on me and that removed any ferocity she might have once had. Quickly, my eyes snapped to Dante as he straightened himself up, clearing his throat softly.

"Nanie…its me, Dante." His voice barely rose above a whisper, and his eyes never once met the old woman's. I heard a gasp and I watched as the woman stepped forward, flipping on the porch light.

"My stars…Dante?! Is that really…oh, oh my dear." She walked closer to Dante, looking at him kindly as tears filled her eyes. "I must be dreaming this…Dante, you had me thinking that you were…that you had-" She clasped her hand to her mouth, and finally, Dante looked up at her, his own eyes appearing damp.

"No…no, it's really me." The woman Dante called Nanie wrapped her arms around Dante, pulling him tightly to her. It was the first time I saw Dante close to tears; it felt surreal to me, as if I were the one dreaming, or maybe watching a movie play out before me- but he just wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers.

"My dear, dear sweet boy…thanks the heavens you're alright. You had Lawrence and I worried for so long that you had gone with your mother and brother that night…oh, I have missed you so." She whispered, and Dante pulled back from the embrace, rubbing at his face.

"I'm sorry I worried you…I didn't…I didn't know where to go." He looked down at the ground, and Nanie shook her head.

"It's in the past, my dear. You're here now and that's all that matters…that's all I care about." She wiped the tears off her face, and looked in my directions, noticing me for perhaps the first time. "And you brought a girl with you…oh, Dante, you're not in any trouble, are you?!" She planted her hands sternly on her hips, and Dante let out a strangled laugh- I, myself, found my face going a bright pink.

"No Nanie, this is Katelynn…she's been with me…for almost a year now." Nanie turned towards me, smiling softly.

"Hello Katie- it's very nice to meet you; I'm Anine Dubell, Dante's...well, his Nanie. His surrogate grandmother." I immediately liked the way she had shortened my name, and I nodded, a smile spreading on my face.

"It's nice to meet you too…Dante, he…we were-" I didn't know how to finish the rest of my sentence- did I tell this woman that we were on the run? Did we explain how I had helped Dante escape from a mental hospital? I looked over at Dante for help, and he smiled his once-more confident smile.

"Kitty and I have been travelling around recently…we're…really, kind of on our own right now."

"And I can tell! You both reek, to be painfully honest! Come inside, both of you. I'll let Lawrence know you're here in the morning, but for right now, you two just need to rest and bathe!" Annie ushered us into her living room, and almost immediately, I felt a sigh of relief flooding my body. The lighting was low and the furniture was charming and the overall feeling was one of warmth and security.

I felt like this was a home where I could comfortably rest my head.

It was a while later, after Dante and I had both showered that I was sitting in my room for the night- a room with two twin beds and a window overlooking the backyard. In the distance, there appeared to be something that looked like a rubble pile, and I wondered, almost absentmindedly, whether it had once been a house that had perhaps burned down.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the quiet sound of feet shuffling in the hallway- Annie appeared in the doorway, her smiling warmer than the soft clothes she had given Dante and I to wear.

"Would you care to join me downstairs for some tea? It appears that we're both having a little trouble getting to sleep." She offered, and I nodded, crossing the room. After bathing, Dante had immediately taken to the room across from mine, muttering something about going to sleep. Honestly, I didn't blame him; tonight, like all nights, had been a stressful, exhausting experience- except tonight had been stressful in a different way for Dante.

"Shh…he finally fell asleep…he was tossing and turning for a while after I heard him go in there." Anine whispered, as we tip-toed down the hallway. I peered into Dante's room, a smile curving my lips as I glanced at the bed.

Dante was lying on his side, a pillow clutched tightly to his chest. He looked so innocent, his features softened, a line of drool running down his chin. He was peaceful, as though he was finally in a deep sleep after months of dozing. And in that moment, I could see how he must have been when he was younger- a little, tiny boy, never knowing what life was going to bring him, just comfortable to have somewhere to lie his head. Safe knowing that there were those who watched him, looked out for him. A little boy who's soul saw too much, too soon.

"Like a traveler come home." I whispered, as Anine nodded.

"I could hear him tossing and turning from down the hall for hours now. He used to be the heavy-sleeper, nothing could wake him up for hours if he wanted to sleep-" Anine was cut off as Dante stirred, snoring and muttering something under his breath. She quickly closed the door, making sure it clicked quietly, before smiling at me.

"Why don't continue this downstairs?"

"Sure…that sounds great." I followed her down the rickety staircase into the kitchen, as she motioned for me to sit down at the table. She shuffled over to the stove, placing a huge metal tea-kettle on the front burner.

"I always make tea when I can't sleep…it's so soothing to just sit here with something warm to drink." She whispered, affectionately putting the kettle on the stovetop.

"…You were saying that Dante used to sleep like a rock, hmm?" She nodded, scuffling over to the table.

"Oh, yes. It was Vergil that you could wake up easily; he could hear a pin drop when he was sleeping, God bless him."

"Who's…Vergil?" I asked, the question tumbling out of my mouth. Anine looked at me, puzzled, as she sat down across from me.

"Vergil was Dante's twin brother…didn't he tell you?" I shook my head. So much I didn't know about the man I had been traveling with- that was why I hoped to get as much as I could from Anine.

"Dante…doesn't talk about the past, much." Anine sighed, nodding understandingly.

"Of course he doesn't. I bet you're still confused about why Dante chose to come here, even." She murmured, and I was grateful that she knew.

"I was confused as to why he was…so upset when we…uh, got off the train here."

"This used to be Dante's hometown. He lived here with his father, for a short time, and his mother and his twin brother. They lived close enough to us that I quickly became friends with Eva, his mother. The boys would spend afternoons over here, and most of the time, Eva would too. Vergil and Dante, they were polar opposites…Dante was loud, mischievous, but so…ha, I would say he was quite the sensitive little boy. Used to get upset over the smallest things…" I nodded, letting this information find space in my already cluttered mind.

"And his brother?"

"Oh, his brother took after his father, from what I knew of the man. Vergil was the man of the household…grew up too fast after his father left, I think. He was extremely responsible, always very independent…tried to do things on his own all the time. But, it was a lot of pressure on him, I think…he used to throw temper tantrums when things didn't go the way he wanted….he was such a lovely child, even though. He and Dante, I don't think I could find better kids anywhere."

"But I'm assuming that he and Dante didn't get along, did they?" Anine snorted, shaking her head.

"Heavens, are you kidding?! They were best friends!" The tea kettle began to whistle, and Anine quickly walked over to it, grabbing the two mugs and pouring the hot water in.

"How, though? It seems like…I don't know, that Vergil would get fed up with Dante's behavior."

"Oh, of course he did! Vergil always called Dante a sissy, and Dante always called Vergil stuck-up. But, they only had each other…they were the only kids around for miles. So, they played together, and most of the time, they were inseparable…it's such a shame." Anine put the tea mugs in front of me, before frowning and sitting down.

"…Dante's never brought up his family before. I didn't know…he even had a family."

"He had a family; we all do, at some point…but they all passed away though when he was small." Anine's frown deepened and I wanted to ask her how, what she knew, but the words seemed caught and my mind kept racing with images of Dante, small and alone.

"That was why he was upset." I whispered, and Anine nodded.

"That is a story I have to let Dante tell you, I'm afraid. I wouldn't want to intrude into that." I took a sip of my tea, letting the silence of both of our thoughts fill the room. "…Katie, I know that you and Dante are in trouble. And not the trouble I suggested earlier, of course, but trouble." Anine's voice was stern, and I felt my eyes widened.

"…How-?"

"His face and yours is pasted on every wanted poster and every news station from here to the surrounding counties. I am surprised, as much as I am thankful, that you have evaded the police for as long as you have…because when they call Dante a murderer and a crazy-killer, I know it's not true. And when they say you're his hostage…I can obviously tell by the way you two are, that it's not the case."

"Dante's one of the most sane people I know. And you're right, I'm not his hostage. And we've had help. From his friends. They-" Anine held up her hand to stop me, and a grimace appeared on her face.

"I know that Dante's…friends, probably had ways of hiding you, but let's not discuss that right now. I need to know something, honestly, Katie, okay?" I nodded quickly, my heart racing in my chest. "Are you able to keep yourselves safe? I know bad-luck follows that boy wherever he goes…but maybe that'll change. I know it's a lot to ask, but please, promise me that you'll try to keep both of yourselves safe."

Maybe it was how late it was, or how tired I was, but I felt my chest swell with every emotion from sadness to fear and everything in between, and tears flooded my eyes.

"I promise...we'll be safe. Nothing will happen to him. Or to us." She patted my hand, smiling, with matching tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Katie. I'll have to tell Lawrence, my husband, that you two are here...but please know that you two may stay as long as you want." I nodded, watching as she stood, placing her mug in the sink.

"Thank you. So much." I wanted to say for everything that she had told me, for opening her house and never doubting Dante, but those were the only words I had to offer. She smiled at me as she ascended up the stairs, her robe swishing behind her.

"No problem, my dear."

I stood up a while later, walking upstairs with my busy mind for company, when a familiar voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"…She pulled you down there to talk to you about what's been happening, didn't she?" Dante, in his sleep clothes, stood at the top of the stairs, his eyes soft and calm looking.

"She did."

"We can trust them, Kitty. We're safe here." Dante assured me, and I stepped closer to him, until my hands were on top of his on the railings.

"I know. I trust you, Dante…I didn't think you'd bring us anywhere that wasn't safe." He smiled a lazily, soft smile at me, before reaching up and touching my hair.

"You look a lot better showered, you know that?" I rolled my eyes, walking past him.

"Goodnight, Dante." I turned into my room, glancing back only to find him staring at me with eyes I couldn't describe. Somewhere between the eyes he used to look at Bambi, and the eyes he stared at me with. Eyes that made my knees buckle and made me strong.

"…Sleep well."

I would keep my promise to Anine- Dante and I would be safe. Nothing would happen to either of us. I didn't know much about fighting and I didn't know much about the streets, but I would try my damnedest. For the both of us.

**Bridgettalladega: *gently squealing* OH I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED IT SO MUCH I JUST LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

**Best Friend: For your sake, I hope they liked it O.o**

**Bridgettalladega: Would you all like to leave me a review telling me if you enjoyed it or not?! Honestly though guys, you all make me smile with your reviews and THANK YOU FOR THOSE CRITIQUES I REALLY DO TRY TO TAKE THOSE INTO ACCOUNT3 Once again, thank you so much for reading(: 3**


	20. Locked Up Thoughts

**Bridgettalladega: Hey everyone!(: I got this chapter done right away, because a) its one of my personal favorites and b) I have so much time now that it's the warm summer months! ^.^**

**Best Friend: She loves the summer, after all.**

**Bridgettalladega: Yes I do! And I hope you love this chapter as much as I love being off from school!:3 Please enjoy!**

"This used to be my room. Did you know that?" I woke up groggily the next morning to the sound of someone sitting next to me on the bed. I rubbed at my eyes, slowly focusing on Dante's face, with his tightly drawn frown. "We used to trade beds. One night, I'd get the one by the window…the next night, Verg would. I'm guessing Nanie told you about him?" I nodded slowly, sitting up and yawning.

"Yeah…she told me all about everything."

"Everything?" Dante looked doubtful, and I understood why; he knew Anine would never tell me what happened that night when Dante's family was killed, and one of the main reasons was because she didn't know about the demons. I had seen Dante hide Ol' Reliable as soon as he had gotten out of the shower last night; this woman, living in this peaceful little house, had no idea about the hell that was outside.

"Almost everything." He nodded, as though I confirmed what he was thinking.

"Did you sleep well?" I yawned again, nodding.

"Yeah; what time is it?"

"4. I just got up an hour ago, myself." My eyes widened and I couldn't help my jaw dropping. This was certainly the latest I had ever slept in; even when we were in Limbo, I had always gotten up reasonably early. "Do you want…I wanted to…bring you…get dressed. I want to show you something. Anine left clothes out for both of us." Dante mumbled, while looking down at the mattress.

I stretched and looked at Dante, for the first time noticing what he was wearing. A clean white tee-shirt and a pair of what looked like khaki pants my father would wear. I grinned, sliding out from underneath the covers. "You certainly look different." I commented, as something resembling a blush spread over Dante's face. "Are you going to leave so I can change?" Dante grinned, and stood up, walking over to me.

"Wouldn't be the first time I saw you undressed, Kitty." I rolled my eyes as I shoved him outside, picking up the clothes that Anine had laid out for me.

The day was comfortable as Dante and I walked out of the house, the sunlight hitting my legs in the dress that Anine had given to me. Dante took my hand and we began walking behind the house, up the hill, towards the pile of rubble I had glanced at the night before. A sinking feeling appeared in the pit of my stomach, and I looked up at Dante, whose face was blank, almost emotionless.

We got to the top of the hill, and the first thing I noticed as how lifeless it felt. There was decay and the feeling of death, and even though the day was warm and cloudless, it felt cold and gloomy. It felt like tragedy was in the air and I couldn't take a breath without feeling as though I would cry.

"This is my old house." Dante stated quietly, and I felt his grip tighten on my hand. I looked at the rubble; so much stone- it was larger than it had appeared last night, and I could only guess how large the house had been when it was still standing.

All of a sudden, I felt Dante sit down on the lawn, pulling me down with him. I tried to read his face; see if he was feeling anything, anything at all- but it was completely blank, steady, collected. Seeing him like that was completely unnerving- I would've rather him been acting like an ass, or making some comment, or even crying; even that, I would've picked over what felt like this unbreakable front he was showing.

"Hey, Kitty?" His voice, breaking the silence was unexpected, and I think I jumped.

"Yeah?"

"You know when the medication your dad gave us began wearing off?"

"Uh-huh."

"You got memories back too, right?" He asked, and I nodded, sitting next to him on the grass.

"I did…that was how I found out you weren't lying. About the demons and stuff."

"Do you think you remember everything now?" I bit down on my lip, staring down at the grass, plucking it between my fingers. That was something I hadn't thought of in a while; the regaining of memories had slowed to a stop by the time we had reached the outskirts of Limbo city, and I tried recalling everything that had finally come back to me.

"I think so; I still don't remember my mom…maybe it was because she died when I was too little."

"Do you…Kitty, do you ever wish…you didn't remember all of it?" I stared at him, but he was looking up, away from me.

"Sometimes." I admitted, and he looked over at me, possibly surprised by my answer. "Sometimes I wish I could go back to the before…when I didn't know and was ignorant and naïve. But I think I'm glad, in a way, that I remembered. Because…it let me help you." I smiled at him, and he scoffed, looking away from me. He was quiet once again, before sighing.

"Demons attacked that night. That's how it got ruined. It was so strong I thought it would never fall. But it did. My mother and Vergil were still fighting them…when Vergil told me to leave. Because I wasn't strong enough and I couldn't do anything. So I ran. And I just kept going until I got to Limbo." He stated, clipped but calm and I pulled his hand into my lap,

"Dante?"

"Hmm."

"Why…why did you run away that night? Why didn't you go to Anine?" I looked down at him, and he brought his eyes to mine, locking our gazes together.

"I felt guilty." I think my jaw must have dropped then, because Dante cast his gaze away from mine, his mouth set in a tight line. "I didn't stay that night, when everything happened. Vergil told me to run away and I listened." He spit, as though the words left a pungent taste on his tongue.

"You were so young Dante. So young. You shouldn't feel guilty about any of it."

"My mother and brother died and I ran away." He stated sharply, and I reached out, pulling him closer to me. He lay down, resting against my lap, and I sighed.

"I'm sorry that they passed, Dante." I murmured, and he shut his eyes, silently listening. "And I'm sorry that you feel guilty…and I wish I had the words to convince you that it's not your fault, but I can tell you that no one's going to blame you but yourself."

We stayed there for a few moments, Dante's head resting in my lap, as I stared at the crumbled remains of a once beautiful house. I could picture it if I closed my eyes; three-stories, with a wraparound porch and ivy growing in tendrils up the supports. A wide living room for birthdays and enough space for two growing boys to roam around. Upstairs, three bedrooms, maybe four, and a study with a giant library.

"I'm half-demon, half-angel, Kitty. I'm a nephilim." Were the words that broke the tranquil silence, and I looked down at the boy in my lap who had spoken them.

"Oh? I never knew." Though maybe I had assumed, way back, when Mo had given Dante that look when talking about half-breeds.

"I'm not human at all. Does that bother you?" He looked at me, and I smiled, shaking my head.

"Should it? Dante, this whole…year has been crazy. I've changed what I've believed so much and I've grew to believe things I never thought I would. So no, it doesn't."

"…Katelynn?" I felt my heart stutter at him using my full-name.

"Yes?"

"I-…never mind." He sat up, rubbing at his jeans before helping me up. "Come on; Nanie was making dinner and she used to be upset if we were late for it."

Dante turned around, looking at the house, before sighing, closing his eyes, and turning away.

We walked hand and hand back to the house, even though we weren't running and there was no immediate danger around. Perhaps it was just natural now; perhaps it was just comforting. Either way, I knew I wouldn't be the one to break this bond.

When we got inside, there was a man with greying hair standing next to Anine at the stove, his large reading glass perched on his nose, his tie hanging neatly down the front of his shirt. His face was lined with wrinkles and his frame thin, lean looking. He looked over at us, his brown eyes scanning our appearance.

"Dante, are you going to introduce your friend to me?" His voice was deep, thick, and Dante stood up straighter as he led me over to him.

"Katelynn…this is Mr. Lawrence, Nanie's husband." I could hear the politeness is Dante's voice, and it caused me to smile as Mr. Lawrence stuck out his hand to me.

"It's nice to meet you Katie; I heard that you and Dante have been doing some traveling." I nodded, feeling a blush rise to my face.

"Well, I mean, we just came here from Limbo city, so-" I felt my words trail off, and Mr. Lawrence offered me a smile.

"So Ani tells me." From behind him, Anine laughed, walking towards us with a plate in her hand.

"Are we ready for dinner?" She suggested as Mr. Lawrence kissed her on the forehead. I looked over at Dante, who smiled and shrugged.

We sat around the table, as conversation about Dante and I continued, along with pleasant chatter about other more ordinary matters, and I felt myself relaxing, falling into this quiet lifestyle. It was nice to believe that two people could live a life like this- one without running and one without fear.

"So, where are you two planning on heading?" Mr. Lawrence asked, as Dante cleared his throat.

"To Ethor- my dad had a…place there and its…I want to get there so I can protect myself. And Katelynn." I tried to figure out why it was Dante just didn't mention about the demons and suddenly the realization that Anine and Mr. Lawrence knew nothing of those creatures fell upon me, breaking my soft smile as I watched Anine nod.

"That's sweet Dante, but don't you think you should stay here?" Dante shook his head, reaching for his glass. He drank deeply, shaking his head.

"No; I don't have anything…I have no way of protecting Katelynn and I…if anything were to happen to us and we needed something. Plus I feel that in a big city, we could blend in better. Not be so recognized, after some of the initial fuss dies down."

Anine sighed and nodded, before looking over at Mr. Lawrence.

"Dante, Lawrence and I have wanted to give you this for a long time…and since you want to go away again, I think this might be the best time." Anine whispered quietly, as the clattering of utensils against plates completely stopped. Lawrence cleared his throat, and took Anine's hand in his own.

"It's nothing much, really…it's just-" Anine fumbled in her pocket, and gently, she pulled out a necklace- a golden locket.

"My mom's. She must have left this-" Dante's face began to crumple up, as though he was about to cry, and quickly, he cast his eyes away from the table.

"She left this over here the day before she passed away; she had actually given it to me, with instruction to give it to you boys…if ever you needed it." She gently lay the locket down in front of Dante, who was still biting down hard on his cheek.

"She always wore that. It was from my dad, Vergil and me, for her birthday." Dante turned back towards the table, taking the locket in his trembling hands. He undid the clasp, and his eyes swelled with tears as he saw the picture on the inside.

It was a family picture- everyone smiling, everyone together. Dante pushed his seat back from the table, standing up with the locket tightly clutched in his hands. Wordlessly, he walked out of the room, and up the stairs, where I could hear the door to his bedroom close. Anine, Mr. Lawrence and I sat there quietly, until finally Anine sighed, giving Lawrence's hand a tight squeeze.

"I think I'll just go up and check on him…just to make sure." I whispered, following Dante up the steps.

"Dante?" I quietly knocked on the bedroom door where he had stayed last night, but inside, I heard no noise. No movement whatsoever- and as I pushed open the door, I realized it was because Dante was not inside that room. However, I had a feeling I know where he'd be.

I went into the room that used to be Dante and Vergil's and now was mine, and gently eased open the door. Proving my assumption right was Dante, sitting on one of the old beds with his head bowed, the necklace cupped in his hands. I walked over to him and sat down on the bed, biting down on my lip.

"Dante, I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine, Kitty." His voice was rough and I took a deep breath inward, tilting my head back.

"I think…I think it's natural to cry over being alone, don't you?" I whispered, feeling tears fill my own eyes as I turned back to face Dante.

He was staring at me, his eyes red and puffy, and I reached over, brushing away the few damp lines that remained on his face. He closed his eyes and I pulled him tightly against me, holding him in my arms. We stayed that way for a long while, long enough to hear the quiet sobs that passed Dante's lips, long enough for him to cling tighter to me- until, eventually, Dante sat up, wiping at his eyes.

"Here- I want…I want you to have this." He held the necklace out towards me, and I shook my head quickly.

"No, Dante, I couldn't possibly-"

"You said that people cried over being alone, right? Well, I'm…I'm not alone anymore." I felt my eyes begin to tear up and Dante quickly fastened the necklace around me.

"Dante, I-" He shook his head, and I closed my mouth, watching as he stood up and walked to the other side of the room.

"I think I'll stay in here tonight." I felt a soft smile form on my lips, and I stood up, walking over to him.

"So, since I've been staying in that bed all week, are you suggesting we share it?" Dante shrugged, a smile playing on his lips.

"Well, only if you are." I lay down next to him, feeling him press against me, holding me tightly in his arms.

"You know, I think I might actually sleep really well tonight." I whispered, turning so that I faced him.

"Me too."

I closed my eyes, and it was a while later when I opened them, I found him staring at me with such calm, patient eyes that I thought I must have been dreaming. Had I never realized how truly blue his eyes were? Like ice…but unlike ice they were not cold and harsh…they were so…captivating, really breath taking actually- they were those same eyes that could be killer-serious and then sensuously teasing and calm and gentle, or a combination of all three, as they were now.

I found my gaze trailing down to his lips. They were so…so nice looking. I wondered what it may feel like….oh, no, that was a stupid thought, I could never…but if I did, what would they feel like? Taste like? I didn't know anything about kissing- if I kissed him, Dante would be my first kiss and the thought made my mind fuzzy as though I was the static on a broken television set.

I felt Dante's hand snake down to my lower back, drawing me closer to him. For a moment, I was pulled out of my own thoughts, only to find him studying me in much the same way I had just been looking at him. Appreciatively. Hungrily.

Wanting.

I reached up, as though my hand was out of my control, and slowly brushed the dark hair off of his face, letting my hand feel the smoothness of his skin, the contours his cheekbones made.

"Kitty…are you trying to-"

I didn't wait to hear the rest of his sentence- all of a sudden, my impulse overcame me, and I wanted to feel those lips pressed against my own more than anything I had wanted in my whole life. I wanted to pull him closer and express the passion that was building up inside me, to let him know how much I hungered for this- for one simple, passionate, lustful kiss.

And so I clamped his mouth off with my own, closing my eyes as he kissed me back and in that moment I felt as though I were floating, and I was soaring and maybe first-kisses weren't supposed to taste this sweet and this good and maybe he wasn't supposed to be as skilled as he was, and maybe I wasn't supposed to feel so secure, because maybe I had just gotten lucky. Because it felt like there was lightning racing through my body and a storm raging in every one of my nerves, and I was sure nothing could, or would, ever feel this great again.

I broke the kiss with a soft sigh, and I closed my eyes, smiling to myself.

"Wow." I whispered, and I felt a chuckle rumble in Dante's chest.

"Yeah…wow."

**Bridgettalladega: SO IT WAS A LITTLE LONGER BUT WHAT DID YOU THINK!? I hope you liked it because I liked writing it and I thought it was cute but if you didn't that's okay because I don't know maybe it actually wasn't and **

**Best Friend: BREATHE.**

**Bridgettalladega: Sorry! Okay, anyway, please review(: Thank you once again for reading and reviewing and favoriting and alerting; it all means so much to me that ya'll do that3 **


	21. Broken Peace

** Bridgettalladega: *looks around* Guys? Guys?**

**Best Friend: I think they all left...you took long enough!**

**Bridgettalladega: I'm so sorry! I got so busy with finishing up school that I had to push a lot to the side. But now that I'm done, I can start writing again(: Hopefully, there are still people here who want to read my writings): Anyway, well, if there are: please enjoy! **

I woke up with the taste of him on my tongue; something sweet, a little bit spicy- like strawberries and cinnamon. I couldn't believe I kissed him; my first kiss, and the first time I had ever looked at Dante as any more than…than a what? A friend? A confidante? And what did that make him now? I blushed at the memory, curling myself closer to Dante, who opened his eyes slowly.  
>"Morning, Kitty." He whispered, and I felt nervous energy run through my body. Would he try and kiss me again? Is that how…how it was supposed to happen?<p>

"…What are we supposed to do…now that it's…the morning after, and all?" Dante's eyes widened and he started laughing. "What?! Why are you laughing at me?!" I demanded.  
>Sleepily, he stretched, before leaning down and kissing me again. He swung his feet off the sides of the mattress, before walking over to the door.<br>"Because, you're so naïve- it's cute." He walked out of the room, and I was left wondering what it was I had said that to him seemed so "naïve". Was it the way I had asked him what to do, instead of just knowing? Had that added to the naivety of me? It didn't bother me all that much though; I knew that he would be more experienced than me in these situations, and I was able to find some sort of comfort from that. That he wouldn't hurt me; he could take control, could guide me. The thought of him doing that made me blush warm, from my face to my toes, as I followed him out into the hall, the sounds of his bare feet on the flooring strangely soothing. As though he had come home- like he sensed no reason to flee here.

We spent the rest of the day helping out Anine and Mr. Lawrence, or lounging around- life seemed so…slow now that there were more hours in the day spent resting. But it was nice, too- I wouldn't mind spending a week like this, maybe more, maybe forgetting about Ethor all together and just staying here. Because here? Dante had family- a makeshift one, but a family nonetheless; a grandmother who cared about him, and talked to him as she made dinner; a grandfather who was sturdy and strong, questioned him about his future and what he was going to do now; and me. A…a very, very good friend. And it was obvious how this rest-period was affecting him; he wasn't so bitter, and he actually smiled. Smiled more than I had ever seen him do- and he was gentler with his words and his actions. He would sit next to me on the couch as I read whatever Anine had lying around, and he would intertwine his fingers with mine. He would kiss me as I lay down next to him at night; sweet, short, strong kisses that made me ache for him in a way that made me understand how the world worked.

"Hey, Kitty?" He asked, one night a couple of days later, moments after I had caught my breath again- his hands had trailed themselves up my body and rested in places I had only ever heard gossip about; his strong, calloused hands on my soft skin had me quivering against him.  
>"Hmm?" I whispered, and he shrugged, stretching out and staring at the ceiling.<br>"…I was thinking of getting up early tomorrow and running those errands Mr. Lawrence said he had to do…whaddya you think?" He looked at me through eyes that were partly closed; it was late, or rather early in the morning, because Dante and I both found that we were too used to keeping night hours now. And I thought right then that he was beautiful- not handsome, though he probably would've preferred that adjective, but beautiful. His eyes, so soft and sleepy- clear and steady, fixed only on me. Yes, he was beautiful and I hoped to tell him how I felt, but words foreign to me came from my tongue instead.  
>"I think that'd be wonderful." I whispered, resting my head on his chest. Anine had asked us about sleeping in the same room, and Dante had quickly come up with the answer that we were too used to being together to sleep apart. And that was true; I couldn't imagine how I'd sleep without hearing him breathing next to me- that would certainly making splitting up in Ethor…well, I didn't want to think about that at all.<br>So tomorrow we would run errands for them and everything would smooth over- she couldn't be too sour about us sharing a room together, after all those teasing remarks she would casually make about him and I together. How we were cute. How we matched. How we fit together like two gloves. No, any sort of resentment held about us sharing a room would certainly smooth over after Dante and I did the errands.

And it certainly seemed as though nothing could go wrong that morning, when we walked to the sleepy town early, the one where the wanted posters didn't blare out our faces or our names, and grabbed the groceries and the supplies that Anine had requested. There were even birds chirping, silly little morning sounds meant to instill peace. Calm.

With Dante's hand in mine, I knew I was feeling nothing but assurance- and glancing over at him, with his smile so genuine on his face, I felt a strange stir of…of warmth for him. More so then just the urge to kiss him or the urge to press our skins to each other. More than that, much, much more. It was humid out; it felt like there would be rain later in the day, and the sky hung heavy around us. Another hot day in this city- I even fancied myself one of the girls from the books that I used to read, on a mysterious adventure with her…oh, with her male-interest.  
>But the sound of something like heat-lighting pulled me back to reality.<p>

Dante stopped short in his tracks: I remember that. And I think I heard him gasp or growl or something. Some noise that only shortly after, I realized was what I had thought to be lightning. Because it was loud, frightening- like something being slashed and ripped to pieces. I swiveled my head to him and I don't remember if he looked at me.

In moments of sheer sorrow, the mind only remembers certain pieces, I guess.

"Don't go in…don't even look, Katelynn." Dante stated, his face as pale as the sheets that hung on the clothes line. I stared at him, puzzled, as I noticed that his hands, which were normally so steady, were trembling.

"Dante…" He pulled me to his chest, and I could feel his heart racing. His breaths were caught in his throat, and he was gasping as though he couldn't get any air down to his lungs.

So, what did I do?

What else?

I looked at the house and already saw the destruction. There were dents where there hadn't been dents and there were scratches where once plain white wall had laid. Where windows were, broken panes.

I hadn't realized Dante had rushed up to the door until he pushed open the door with his foot, and I gasped, stumbling backwards as the scene was unveiled before my eyes.

I had never seen so much devastation, so much blood. There were pools of it on the ground, seeping into the carpet. There were spatters of it on the destroyed furniture; it was dripping from the ceiling.

And as my wide-eyes scanned even more, I found that, huddled together in the living room, were the mangled and shredded bodies of Anine and Lawrence.

My hand went to my mouth as pulled myself out of Dante's arms. I stumbled back, shaking my head rapidly, trying to believe that this was all a nightmare, that none of this had really happened. Dante reached out and caught me, pulling me against his chest once again as my body heaved with sobs. He slowly rocked me back and forth, his hands shaking against my back.

"Why?! Oh, god, why?!" I howled, the anguish filling my chest unbearable.

"Demons, Kitty…" His voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Why them though….oh, god why them!?" I beat upon Dante's back with my hands, as Dante shook his head, holding me tighter to him.

"…Because…they were in the demons' way. They were-" Dante's voice cracked, and I sobbed until my chest ached and I felt lightheaded.

"We have to c-c-call someone Dante, any-any-one the police…s-som-"

"Katelynn, you know we have to go." The pain in his voice was so raw it made me cry harder.

"They're…they're hurt though we c-can't just leave t-th-them-"

"We…we need to take what supplies we can from the house . They're dead…oh, Kitty, they're dead." He tried to steady his voice, biting on his lip and looking me in the eye. "And we still need to go on."

**Bridgettalladega: So I'm sorry this chapter is short and that I've been away for so long/: I think once I get back into writing, everything will be a lot smoother and a lot longer! But until then, please review! And thank you for reading3 **


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